In the field of the most famous accessories brands, Kate Spade can be boldly mentioned. Her designs were first discovered by Americans and then by the rest of the world. In the search for the ideal purse, Kate Spade and her husband decided to take matters into their own hands and create a brand that stands out in the market. Get to know the inspiring story of the designer.
For Kate Spade, a purse was always an important part of her wardrobe – just like for other fashionable and practical American women. In the 90s, when the brand was gaining popularity, the TV show Sex and the City, whose characters wore Jimmy Choo heels, Manolo Blahnik shoes, and iconic Fendi Baguette purses, was also becoming increasingly famous.
Today, purses and clothes with the Kate Spade New York logo are worn all over the world. In the brand's stores, in addition to accessories, you can also buy clothes, footwear, and home accessories. Brand accessories can also be seen in the Vitkac.com online store – a major advantage of online shopping in Poland is fast delivery.
Who was Kate Spade?
Katherine Noel Brosnahan was born in Kansas City on December 24, 1962. Her father worked in construction while her mother took care of her and five siblings. Kate Spade, even though she liked to style herself and "borrow" her mother's jewelry, rather thought about a career as a television producer.
During her journalism studies at Arizona State University, she worked in a motorcycle bar and a men's clothing store, where she met her future husband, Andy Spade. After her studies, she moved to New York, where she became the fashion editor's assistant at Mademoiselle magazine. Within five years, she became an accessories editor, regularly receiving handbags for styling, which she considered too baroque, flashy, and excessively elaborate.
Disappointed and frustrated, she began to think about filling the missing gap in fashion and creating her own functional purse that would be refined at the same time. She sewed the first prototypes with staples and glued them with tape. Kate Spade New York was officially founded together with her husband and friend Elyce Arons in 1993.
Kate and Andy always kept their finger on the pulse. The brand was one of the first to notice younger clients with a smaller budget, but at the same time, interested in design and craving change: energetic, affordable, and creative projects.
Kate Spade
Shoulder bag with logo
Kate Spade
‘Margaux’ shoulder bag
Kate Spade
Shoulder bag with logo
In 1995, she received an award for emerging talent from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and in 1997, Spade was recognized as the designer of the year in the accessories category. In 1999, she was recognized as the best accessories designer at the Accessories Council's ACE Awards.
In the same year, the Spades sold their shares in the company to the Neiman Marcus group. The proceeds from the sale were already $28 million at the time. For comparison, to illustrate the growth of the brand, at the beginning of the company's activity, it brought profits of the order of $100,000.
The company that Spade founded changed owners over the years. Neiman Marcus Group sold it to Liz Claiborne Inc. in 2006. In 2017, Kate Spade & Company was taken over by Coach Inc. Kate devoted herself to charitable activities. The designer died in 2018, but her designs remain "alive".
Kate Spade – the perfect purse
The strength of the Kate Spade brand lies in its expressiveness and originality. Among thousands of other, often much more formal and serious, office purses, Kate Spade stands out with energetic, saturated colors and their combinations and a sense of humor (although there are also formal business purses in the collections). Design that brings a smile to the client's face is combined with a practical approach, typical of Kate Spade New York.
Despite decorations, stitches, and various types of materials, Kate Spade purses retain a functional, classic shape: most often a trapezoid, rectangle, oval, but there are also round, cylindrical, and crescent-shaped ones. A great example of Kate Spade New York design is a funny shoulder bag – a bumblebee. However, the brand's collections do not lack smooth tote bags (perfect for a laptop) and shopper bags with a rigid bottom. Don't be fooled, though, that such bags are boring. Inside the red model, there is a detachable pouch in the shape of... a ladybug. :-)
Kate Spade
Shoulder bag with logo
Kate Spade
Shoulder bag
Kate Spade
Shoulder bag
The designer herself, often styled after characters from Wes Anderson films or a character from the Brilliant Clan, in the style of the 60s-70s, geek glasses and a constant smile intended for fans, embodied the eclectic, slightly extravagant character of the brand.
Under the guise of the innocent image a’la preppy girl lay the shrewd mind of a businesswoman who understood the concept and need to build a lifestyle brand long before this concept entered the market. And expanding the fashion range from home accessories to cosmetics has become a natural activity for many brands.
Kate Spade
Appliquéd shoulder bag
Kate Spade
‘Rulette’ shoulder bag
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Kate Spade
‘Spencer’ phone pouch
Kate Spade online and offline
"Kate Spade had an enviable gift for understanding exactly what women around the world wanted to wear" said Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue and artistic director of Condé Nast, in a special statement.
She wasn't wrong. The Kate Spade brand, even though its founder is no longer with us, is still on top. The brand currently has over 200 boutiques and sales points around the world, including a large part in the United States, China, Japan, and Dubai.
Kate Spade also does well online, running two separate online showcases (Kate Spade online stores) for the United States and the United Kingdom. If you are looking for a distinctive purse that will be functional and at the same time stylish and eye-catching, this is a brand where you will surely find something for yourself.
