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Kate Spade was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Kate grew up in Missouri and attended Arizona State University, where she met her husband, Andy Spade. Together they moved to New York and her brand took off soon after that. She was the founder of Kate Spade New York. This brand is known for it's handbags, clothing, jewelry, and decor. Kate was the brains behind this modern, colorful, and sophisticated brand.

https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/kate-spade
https://www.glamour.com/story/kate-spade-life-career-timeline

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Kate used her journalism degree from Arizona University and moved to New York. She landed a job in the accessories department at Mademoiselle where she was promoted to associate editor. After working there for 5 years, she left the company and saw no future for herself. Her and her husband decided over dinner to start in a new direction: making her own handbags. Two years after their decision, Andy and Kate created Kate Spade the brand.

https://www.glamour.com/story/kate-spade-life-career-timeline
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/05/how-kate-spade-created-a-multimillion-dollar-empire.html

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Beginning Products and Start of Her Company

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Beginning Products and Start of Her Company

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Kate Spade launched her brand by opening a small boutique in Manhattan in 1993. She started with six different handbags. However, the one that stood out was the Sam bag. This bag put Kate on the map and helped her business expand internationally. Over time, her company started selling more than just handbags and her products began to be sold in high end stores. Her brand continues to grow even after her death.

https://abc7.com/sam-bag-kate-spade-new-york-handbag/3565224/
https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/kate-spade

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At 55 years old Kate Spade committed suicide when she hung herself in 2018. On the second day of Mental Health Awareness Month, May 1, 2022, Ulta sent out an email for the infamous Kate Spade perfume that unintentionally related to the designer's suicide. Customers of Ulta read, "Come hang with Kate Spade," as the tagline in the email. Fans and customers were appalled by this email and expressed the outrage online towards Ulta. On the brighter side of things, Kate Spade was awarded won 2 CFDA awards in 1995. The 2 awards were labeled as the Accessory Designer of the Year and the Perry Ellis award.

https://nypost.com/2022/05/02/ulta-blasted-for-come-hang-with-kate-spade-suicide-email/
https://cfda.com/news/remembering-kate-spade-2

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Ulta Beauty is attempting to makeup with fans after ugly backlash over its latest "tone-deaf" email promotion.

The cosmetics mega company sent out an email for a Kate Spade perfume on Sunday that unintentionally alluded to the designer's suicide. Ulta's message to customers read "Come hang with Kate Spade" alongside a sale for its beauty products.

Spade died by suicide when she hanged herself in 2018. She was 55.

The beauty behemoth apologized in a statement to The Post on Monday.

"Ulta Beauty recently sent an email featuring Kate Spade New York fragrance with an insensitive subject line and for this, we sincerely apologize," the rep said. "Mental health is a very serious, important issue in this country, and not something we would ever take lightly. We apologize to the Spade family, our Kate Spade New York brand partners and to our guests. Thank you for understanding as we strive to do better."

Fans were appalled by the reference and expressed outrage on social media.

"How disgusting to use for clickbait," wrote one, believing the message was written intentionally.

"I cannot believe I got this email today," one person wrote on Twitter. "Is this some kind of sick joke? How insensitive and absolutely tone-deaf. Apparently nobody in marketing at Ulta remembers how Kate Spade died. Disgusting."

Another chimed in, "Just got this email ... this is wrong of Ulta Beauty ... Kate Spade committed suicide by hanging herself."

"Ulta Beauty corporate probably having a MELTDOWN realizing somebody sent out a promo email with the subject line Come hang with Kate Spade ... somebody's losing their job," a user added.

Designer Kate Spade suffered from anxiety and depression for several years before her death.

Boston Globe via Getty Images

"Ulta Beauty f-ked up with their Kate Spade email. Not only did I get a metric f-k ton of emails all night, but the headline was BULLS-T. Ulta gives no care to the mental health community, Kate Spade or her family. Gross," a fan wrote.

As May marks Mental Health Awareness month, another noted, "Kate Spade was amazing and an icon. Your lack of attention to detail is sad at best, negligent and hurtful at worst. Do better. #MentalHealthAwareness."

Criticizing the critics currently disseminating the promo, one insisted, "Sharing that awful ulta beauty x kate spade email is honestly worse than ulta sending it in my opinion because someone in the comments who would've never seen it otherwise literally said they were triggered by it. that person should've just emailed ulta."

Kate Spade and husband Andy launched the brand in the early 90s.

FilmMagic

At the time of the fashion icon's death, her family sent out a statement saying: "To most of the world, she was Kate Spade, the beautiful embodiment of her brand and a glamorous cultural icon."

Kate Spade founded the brand with husband Andy Spade in the early 90s, putting up their own money to launch their line of preppy, colorful handbags, which they hustled together at trade shows for years until the likes of Barneys and Saks would carry them - and without the help of celebrity endorsements as so many brands rely on these days.

The duo sold their stake in Kate Spade to Neiman Marcus in 2006 - by then already considered iconic, and expanded beyond bags to include other accessories, clothing and home goods.

Andy released his own statement at the time of Kate's death, explaining that "there were personal demons she was battling."

"Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives," he wrote in 2018.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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Fans rip Ulta Beauty for shocking email about Kate Spade's suicide

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Ulta Beauty is attempting to makeup with fans after ugly backlash over its latest "tone-deaf" email promotion. The cosmetics mega company sent out an email for a Kate Spade perfume on Sunday that unintentionally alluded to the designer's suicide. Ulta's message to customers read "Come hang with Kate Spade" alongside a sale for its beauty products.

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Her brand's promotional products are very different than all of her competitors. They are funky and fun with many pops of color. The ads are intended to encourage consumers to find joy in everyday moments.

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We picked Kate Spade because of our love for her fun and bold products. She represents how you can turn a special talent into a billion dollar brand.

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1. She drank Diet Pepsi everyday at breakfast
2. Her first boutique was only 400 sq. ft.
3. When creating her first bags she used a potato sack manufacturer as her supplier
4. Kate always wore fake jewelry (no real diamonds or pearls)
5. The Kate Spade label is always lowercase, if there's an upper-case "P" it's a knockoff

https://www.factinate.com/people/30-classic-facts-kate-spade/

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"I hope that people remember me not just as a good businesswoman but as a great friend-and a heck of a lot of fun." -Kate Spade

The name Kate Spade is synonymous with fashion accessories; namely her chic, enduring handbags. But there was a real person behind the brand, the real Kate Spade. She was an entrepreneur, mother, wife, daughter, and role model for women looking to other inspirational women for encouragement in their own endeavors. Sadly, she passed away in her New York City home on June 5, 2018. Her life may have been short, but it was incredible. Here's some facts to help remember her by.

30. Don't Like Them? Join Them!

The main reason why Spade created a line of handbags? She didn't like what she saw in stores and couldn't find one she wanted. It's literally that simple! "I was looking for something that could be less serious. More personal," she told The Boston Globe back in 1999. "I also wanted timelessness."

29 All in the Family

On Christmas Eve, 1962, Katherine Noel Brosnahan came into the world in Kansas City, Missouri. And if that last name sounds familiar, maybe you watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon. Spade's niece, Rachel Brosnahan, plays the titular Mrs. Maisel. Oh, and that other famous last name? Well, her husband Andy is the brother of comedian David Spade.

28. Kate Valentine, at Your Service

Her last name is a bit up for grabs. Sure, she was born as a Brosnahan and married into being a Spade, but she actually started using the surname of Valentine even before she was a married woman. "Valentine" was courtesy of her mother's father. He was born on Valentine's Day, so his parents made it his middle name. In 2016, she legally changed her name to "Kate Valentine."

27. All Part of a Balanced Diet

Fun fact: she drank Diet Pepsi at breakfast. Now that's adulting at its finest (we've all been there, let's face it). "When my daughter wants some, I tell her there are certain things that adults can do that kids can't. My life is a little kooky but a lot of fun." She also admitted that she drinks smoothies at breakfast, so she has some semblance of being a proper adult too-especially since she added kale to them.

26. A Match Made in Clothing Heaven

While studying journalism at Arizona State University in the early 1980s, she met Andy Spade, the man whom she would go on to marry. They were working at the same clothing store, she on the women's side and he on the men's side. "One day, his car broke down, and he asked me for a ride home. And we really started off as really great friends." The rest, as they say, was history.

25. Made for Motherhood

Spade's daughter, Frances Beatrix, was born 11 years into her marriage to Andy. After Frances was born, Spade decided to step away from the business, saying, "I, personally, I don't know about Andy-took off a good nine years raising my daughter and absolutely adored every moment of it."

24. An Accessories Maven

She graduated with her journalism degree right smack dab in the 80s-1985 to be exact. She moved to New York City for a job at Mademoiselle magazine, where she finished out the decade. During her time there, she earned a couple new titles: senior fashion editor and head of accessories. Yeah, those sound about right.

23. Good Things Come in Small Packages-Even Stores

Spade wasted no time after leaving Mademoiselle in 1991. Just two short years later, she had her own line of handbags ready for the market! She even had her own small boutique store in the New York neighborhood of SoHo. It was tiny though! Just about 400 square feet. Compare that to the current headquarters, which is well over 10,000 feet.

22. Mrs. Potato Bag

In the early days, when she was first creating her bags, she used a potato sack manufacturer as her first supplier. No kidding! The first sample was described as "a square bag mocked up in burlap (her supplier was a potato-sack manufacturer she found in the yellow pages) and woven with raffia fringe." You do what you have to, right?

21. Everything Under the Moon, Basically

She didn't stop at just handbags, even back then. Soon, she was creating anything from shoes and eyewear to paper products. That's not all-she also designed clothing, shoes, fragrances, dinnerware and so much more! By the end of the millennium, her products were being sold in over 450 stores all over the world. It's safe to say she was becoming a household name already!

20. To P or not to P

Have a Kate Spade product? Take a look at its label. Notice anything? Well, it's all lower case. And if you happen to see an upper-case P, then-we hate to break it to you-it's a knockoff. Actually, if you head over to the Kate Spade website, you'll notice that upper case letters are hard to come by!

19. One Person's Junk is Another's Treasure

Maybe she got her inspiration from places like flea markets and second-hand stores? Before and even during her time at Mademoiselle you'd often spot her at them, which led her to look into the variety of materials and styles available, along with costs for production.

18. Everything Old Is New Again

One of her first handbag designs was known as the Sam bag. She saw much success with the nylon, boxy bag that merged sleekness with practicality. Just recently, the company announced it was bringing the bag back, just with a few modern updates.

17. Makin a Name, not a Brand

The Kate Spade brand name wasn't because it was her married name and it was just easy to do; no, there's a bit of a story behind it. Originally, she was thinking Olive, but she and Andy combined her first name with his last name (they weren't married yet) and he just kept repeating it. "Andy kept saying 'Kate Spade. Kate Spade,'" she said during an interview with The Boston Globe. "I loved Olive for some reason. But Kate Spade wasn't frilly. It was just straightforward. It wasn't a fashion-y name."

16. Earning Her Stripes

It didn't take long for Spade to receive accolades for her business ventures. In 1996, she was awarded "America's New Fashion Talent in Accessories" by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. By that time, she had more of her own stores open for business and big-name, high-end stores stocking her items. You would find her products at the likes of Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

15. Oh, Shiny!

Spade loved jewellery-a lot. In a 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal, it's quite evident how much she loved jewellery of any kind, especially costume. "I buy so much fake jewelry, it's funny," she said. "It's not real. I don't wear real diamonds or anything." She also admitted to always looking for a piece of jewellery that no one else had.

14. Pearls Were This Girl's Best Friend

Okay, so she loved costume jewellery. But she also loved a certain set of pearls her husband once bought for her, calling it the best gift she ever received. "I told Andy, 'Don't buy me expensive pearls. I'm just a normal pearl girl. Do not go to Mikimoto.' Because I said don't, he went right there." Fellas, are you taking notes?

13. Growing the Empire

Not just interested in creating products, Spade moved on to writing books and investing in a television station. She's the author of three books: Manners, Occasions, and Style. Plum TV, the small station she and her husband took interest in, only broadcast to a small area-Martha's Vineyard, the Hamptons, and Nantucket.

12. Changing Hands and Brands

Spade and her husband decided to sell the majority of their venture in 1999 to one of the retailers selling her products, the Neiman Marcus Group. They in turn sold it to Fifth & Pacific, the former Liz Claiborne, in 2006. The whole brand was also sold in 2006, as Spade wanted to have a bigger role in her new daughter's life. Eventually, it all got rebranded again, this time to Kate Spade & Co. and eventually was sold to another competitor, Coach. That deal cost over two billion dollars!

11. Smart Thinking

She admitted that she and Andy took things slow in the early stages of the business, but doesn't regret it. "The pressure and encouragement to keep going into different categories was big," she told Fortune Magazine in 2003. She said that they wanted to set up their shoe line the same way they did the handbag line, so that the shoes would still be a healthy business venture if everything else went away.

10. Once a Designer, Always a Designer

Spade couldn't stray too far from designing new accessories. Just in 2016, she, her husband, and close friends collaborated for a new line called Frances Valentine. Something else that she released in 2016 and 2017? Purses, phone accessories, and jewellery all with a Minnie Mouse theme.

9. Smelling Like a Rainbow

Even before that new line, she dabbled in perfume! In 2013, she released "Live Colorfully," which helped to celebrate 20 years of the brand being in business. Made in-house, there's also a card in the packaging that goes into the road Spade and her husband took getting to that point.

8. More Power to Them

She was also involved in endeavors other than designing new handbags or accessories. She supported Women for Women International, an organization that aims to make women's lives better in places like Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Rwanda. In 2014, about 150 Rwandan women designed accessories for the company, which sold in stores under the name On Purpose.

7. Started From the Bottom, Now She's Here

Her brand has taken on a life of its own in the many years it's been in business. It's estimated that, at the time of her death, Spade was worth anywhere between $150 million to $200 million.

6. If at First You Don't Succeed

We may never have even known Kate Spade! She was upset after one of her first trade shows, telling her husband that she hadn't made enough sales that day to even cover the cost of the booth rental. But Andy didn't let her give up and encouraged her to keep going. He asked her if any orders had been placed-and there had. Barneys and Fred Segal saw something in her handbags they liked. "You've got two of the best stores in America," Andy told her. "Why are you crying? Let's not quit." And we're so glad she listened!

5. Changing Lives, One Handbag at a Time

Spade took pride in her designs and company. During an interviewing with The Boston Globe she mentioned how, in the early days of her company, she once saw a woman on the street with one of her bags and she couldn't help but feel upbeat about it. "There's a woman with a Kate Spade bag. You know what I love? She's a professional. She's in a smart suit. But she's an individual ... Fashion can't feel like a costume."

4. That Could Have Been Very Awkward

Spade said that once, while shopping at a Kate Spade store with her daughter, she was asked if she was on the mailing list. She replied that she didn't think she was and signed up using her maiden name instead. She said that her daughter kept nudging her during the whole encounter, hoping her mother would speak up-but she didn't. In the NPR interview, she said "I remember thinking, you know, no, I'm not on your mailing list, but I think I helped create it."

3. A Sad End

When word spread about Spade's passing, it came as a huge shock to everyone. Law enforcement announced that the housekeeping staff were the ones to find her in her home on Park Avenue in Manhattan. In a statement from her family released on the same day, they said they are "devastated by today's tragedy."

2. A Vow Made Is a Vow Kept

There's been a lot of talk about discord in the couple's marriage. When talking about her life with Andy, she said that taking the good with the bad and having a lot of humor were keys to making it last. "You take those vows seriously," she said. "Through good and bad." In an interview with The New York Times published just days after her death, her husband acknowledged that they had been living apart for the last 10 months, but no talk of divorce ever came up. "We loved each other very much and simply needed a break," he said.

1. Behind Those Happy Eyes

As more developments of her death were released, it was evident that it was due to suicide. In his interview with The New York Times, Andy acknowledged that she had suffered from anxiety and depression for years. "She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives. We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy. There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock." Despite the fact that they were living apart, it was only by a few blocks and they continued to act like a family would, even taking vacations together with their daughter. We just hope that she's found her peace, and her name will live in on the brand she dedicated the better part of her life to creating.

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"I hope that people remember me not just as a good businesswoman but as a great friend-and a heck of a lot of fun." -Kate Spade The name Kate Spade is synonymous with fashion accessories; namely her chic, enduring handbags. But there was a real person behind the brand, the real Kate Spade.