Katherine Noel Brosnahan, known professionally as Kate Spade and Kate Valentine, was born on the 24th of December 1962 and sadly died on the 5th of June 2018. Kate was an American fashion designer and business woman, who surely made her mark on the fashion industry as a whole.
Kate worked at Mademoiselle, in the accessory department, when she and her husband, Andy Spade had identified a gap in the market for luxurious, high-quality handbags at affordable prices. Thus, Kate Spade New York was founded in January 1993, providing the public with quality, elegant handbags of which are affordable and adaptable to both younger and older demographics. The prices for Kate Spade handbags, range between $150 - $450, allowing for shoppers from various income brackets a chance at owning a Kate Spade original.
In 1999 Kate had sold 56% of her business to the Neiman Marcus Group and the rest of her shares were sold off in 2006. In 2015, Kate and her partners launched their new brand, Frances Valentine, named after her daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade. Frances Valentine is a designer footwear and handbag brand, not to be confused with Kate Spade New York.
The designer and business woman, accumulated various awards in the fashion industry, such as being named “America’s New Fashion Talent in Accessories” by the CFDA in 1996; as well as the “Best Accessory Designer Of The Year” in 1998, by the same organization. In 2017 Kate was dubbed one of the most creative people in business, by Fast Company, amongst many other awards from various organizations over the years.
Kate Spade, an inspiration to women in the corporate and fashion industry, and a true loss, whom will never be forgotten.
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