Duchess’s designer is found hanged at age of 55
DESIGNER Kate Spade, who has dressed the Duchess of Cambridge, was yesterday found dead in her New York apartment after an apparent suicide.
Mrs Spade, 55, was found hanged by her housekeeper and is said to have left a note telling her 13-year-old daughter Frances not to blame herself.
The designer was best known for her quirky handbags and colourful leather accessories, which became popular with career women.
Celebrities who have worn her clothes include Gwyneth Paltrow, Taylor Swift and the Duchess of Cambridge, who was seen in a £465 floral Kate Spade dress in 2016.
Mrs Spade’s husband Andy, 55, the brother of US actor David Spade, was reportedly in their Park Avenue apartment at the time of her death. Her daughter Frances Beatrix was at school, US reports said.
The fashion world and celebrity fans have been mourning the designer on social media, with some friends speculating that she was going through mental health issues. Chelsea Clinton tweeted: ‘My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart’.
Ivanka Trump wrote: ‘Kate Spade’s tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain or the burden they carry.’
US sports presenter Trenni Kusnierek tweeted: ‘Mental health issues do not discriminate. By all accounts, Kate Spade “had it all” – money, success, fame. None of these things matter when you are sick.’ The New York Post said Mrs Spade’s apparent suicide ‘was over family problems... in her relationship’.
Mrs Spade first began designing bags in 1992. At the time she said handbags were too accessorised and she wanted a ‘functional bag that was sophisticated and had some style’.
Her square bag became an icon and her company soon became a fashion empire, expanding to include clothing, jewellery, bedding and fragrances. There are now 300 Kate Spade stores worldwide, with seven in the UK.
In 1999, Mrs Spade sold a majority stake in the company to US department store Neiman Marcus for £22million and sold the remaining shares for £39million in 2007 – but weeks later, Neiman sold Kate Spade for £100milinvolved lion. From 2007, Mrs Spade took nine years off to raise her daughter. She told Forbes in 2016: ‘Everyone kept saying, “Don’t you want to go back to work?” and I kept saying, “No! I really don’t... I’m loving this time off”.’
However, two years ago, she went back into fashion with her label Frances Valentine, selling shoes and accessories.
Even though she was no longer in Kate Spade, she would have watched with consternation in recent years as the empire faltered.
The latest accounts, for the 2016 financial year, show that it made a loss of £396,800. Last September, New York-based handbag brand Coach bought Kate Spade in a £1.8billion deal – however, first quarter sales for this year plunged 9 per cent due to a massive drop in online orders.
Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Kolb, the head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, said in a statement yesterday: ‘She was a great talent who had an immeasurable impact on American fashion and the way the world viewed American accessories’.
A statement from the Spade family said: ‘We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly.’
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
‘Immeasurable impact on fashion’