Kate Spade, 55, was found dead Tuesday in her New York City apartment, sending shock waves through the fashion community and Spade’s fans all over the world.
According to New York investigators, Spade appears to have taken her life Tuesday morning. A housekeeper found her in her apartment.
„There was a suicide note left at the scene,” said Dermot Shea, New York Police Department’s chief of detectives. “I’m not going to get into the contents of that note — but that appears to be the sum total of what it is at this point.“
Spade’s husband was said to be home when her body was found. Her daughter was at school.
To Chloe Dao, a former Project Runway winner and designer with a shop of her own in Rice Village, Spade had a major impact.
“For myself, as a female designer, she was someone I really looked up to because there are not that many female iconic designers around,” Dao said. “She’s such a successful woman. To come to this, I don’t know what happened, but this to me is so shocking and devastating.”
It was a sad end for a designer known for classic black bags and for a colorful and quirky style that stood out.
“It was about joy,” Dao said. “It was about embracing your individuality.”
The Kansas City, Missouri, native was working as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine when she launched her handbag company in 1993 almost out of necessity. Spade had said she couldn’t find a lot of things she needed for photo shoots.
The company quickly blossomed into a multi-million dollar enterprise, expanding into other accessories that sold in more than 140 retail shops around the country and more than 175 around the world. Spade sold her company for $125 million in 2006 and walked away from it a year later.
Her style captured the imagination of a nation. Her influence reached into people’s lives.
A couple from The Woodlands, Sara and Austin LaFaille, had a Kate Spade-inspired wedding.
Sara LaFaille told KPRC she and her wedding planner, Rhiannon Bosse, added Spade touches from the ribbons, to the pops of color, even down to her bridals shoes, which were Kate Spade.
LaFaille said she was a loyal Kate Spade fan. Her first handbag was Kate Spade, and she dressed her baby in Spade clothing. She was saddened to learn of the fashion icon’s death.
In recent years, Spade and her husband had started a new handbag company called „Frances Valentine.“
The website of Spade’s namesake company saluted its founder, saying in part „We honor all the beauty she brought into this world.“
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