Kate Spade

Kate Spade is a fashion brand originating from New York , USA. It was founded by Kate & Andy Spade in 1993. It is mainly known for its handbag design, and is also involved in ready-to-wear, jewelry, accessories, perfume, glasses, shoes, household items and other fields. It is now affiliated with Tapestry Inc.

· Brand History ·

American fashion designer Kate Spade (1962-2018) was originally named Katherine Noel Brosnahan . She was born in Kansas City, Missouri . During college, she worked in a clothing store and met her future husband and partner Andy Spade . She graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in journalism. In 1986, she moved to New York and became a fashion editor for Mademoiselle

magazine. Katherine's father was the owner of a construction company and her mother was a housewife. She had not received any training in fashion design, so she had never considered getting involved in the fashion industry; however, this magazine editing job became her opportunity to enter the handbag industry.

While working at the magazine, she became dissatisfied with the "too complicated and fancy" handbag design and hoped to design a handbag that was "both functional and fashionable ." In order to realize her ideas, she quit her editing job in 1991 and devoted herself to handbag design. Even though she lacked experience, she still tried to make the first batch of design sketches with paper and transparent tape.

In 1993, Katherine and her boyfriend Andy Spade officially founded "Kate Spade" . The brand name was taken from Katherine's nickname "Kate" and Andy's last name "Spade". The spade element in the logo was taken from the meaning of "Spade" in playing cards.

Kate Spade's first handbag collection included six styles, with the "Sam" tote bag as its signature. This square-shaped handbag is made of waterproof nylon and features a simple all-black design. To attract customers' attention, Katherine sewed the label inside the bag on the outside of the bag, which became the finishing touch of the brand's design.

Kate Spade then gradually established its brand personality, featuring bright and colorful designs and presenting a simple and cheerful style. Kate Spade herself won the Best Newcomer Award in the Handbag Accessories Category and the Best Accessories Designer of the Year Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Kate Spade's first store opened in Soho, New York

in 1996 , and its headquarters moved to West 25th Street in Manhattan , settling in a new space with a total area of 930 square meters. By 1998, Kate Spade had opened stores in Boston, Los Angeles and Tokyo.

Neiman Marcus, an American luxury department store group , acquired 56% of Kate Spade's shares in 1999 and helped the brand launch new products, such as beauty products (2002) and home furnishings (2003). In 2006, Neiman Marcus Group acquired the remaining shares and subsequently sold Kate Spade to Liz Claiborne Inc. for $124 million .

In 2007, Kate and Andy Spade left the company and no longer participated in brand affairs. Deborah Lloyd became president and creative director , continued to expand the brand's product line, launched ready-to-wear, jewelry, children's clothing and other series, and founded the sister brand Kate Spade Saturday .

In 2012, Liz Claiborne Inc. changed its name to Fifth & Pacific Companies , and two years later it changed its name to Kate Spade & Company . In 2017, Coach (now Tapestry Inc.) acquired Kate Spade & Company for $2.4 billion, and has since incorporated the Kate Spade brand into its fold. In the same year , Nicola Glass became the creative director . To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the brand, Kate Spade re-launched the Sam series

in 2018 , reinterpreting the classic handbags from the early days of the brand: the external brand label was changed to a metal logo, and a variety of materials were available, including leather, rattan, denim, quilted leather, and printed canvas. Kate Spade currently has more than 140 directly-operated stores in the United States and a total of 450 stores worldwide.

·Chronology of major events·