Cole as ice after hearing news

FASHION INDUSTRY icon Kenneth Cole was blasted for tweeting a tone-deaf tribute Tuesday about Kate Spade, just hours after the acclaimed handbag designer committed suicide .

Cole (photo), 64, wrote that Spade “alone didn’t change the handbag world, but she was an inspiring accessory.”

He sent his tweet around 12:30 p.m., roughly two hours after Spade, 55, was found in her Upper East Side apartment, where she hung herself. Spade, who launched a global brand off her bright, modern accessories, grew her company into a $2.4 billion empire that included bags, shoes and clothing. As criticism about his tweet ran wild on social media, Cole deleted the message and issued an explanation. “My tweet was intended to pay tribute to her inspiring life and work,” he said in a statement to the Daily Mail.