'At the turn of the last century, her bag came to encapsulate a decidedly Manhattan moment in time,' a moment when Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour recalled that it was impossible to walk a block in the city without seeing one. One woman recalled that the Kate Spade bags looked 'mature, without being too adult for a teenager,' unlike higher-priced brands such as Burberry or Louis Vuitton. Young American women at the time also liked the bags' sophisticated look. You could afford them, and happily buy more than one.' That was 'a real shift' in fashion, said Fern Mallis, director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) during the 1990s. The bags, priced in the $150 to $450 (USD) range, quickly became popular, particularly in New York. ДЄfter an early show at the Javits Center at which the department-store chain Barneys ordered a few bags, Spade decided to put the bag's labels on the outside, a change that took her all night to alter but established the brand. The couple spent their shipping season living at friends' apartments since their own was filled with boxed handbags. To finance the company, Andy, who had worked as a copywriter, withdrew his 401(k) pension plan and sometimes paid employees with personal checks. Spade made six prototypes with Scotch Tape and paper, and found a manufacturer in East New York willing to work with a startup to produce the bags. She considered a number of names, but agreed when Andy suggested 'Kate Spade', as she would take the name Spade after their marriage. Spade was initially undecided on the brand's name, because she and Andy had not yet married, and 'Kate Brosnahan' seemed a cumbersome name for a fashion label.

Kate and Andy founded Kate Spade New York in January 1993. While working for Mademoiselle, she had noticed that the market lacked stylish, affordable and sensible handbags and decided to create her own. She left Mademoiselle in 1991, achieving the rank of Senior Fashion Editor/Head of Accessories.

Kate worked in the accessories department at Mademoiselle magazine. Career Mademoiselle Д«y 1986, the couple had moved to Manhattan. While in college, she worked in sales at Carter's Men Shop, a men's clothing store in Phoenix her co-worker was Andy Spade, who later became her husband and business partner. She joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduated with a journalism degree in 1985, thinking she would go into television production. She later transferred to Arizona State University. Teresa's Academy, an all-female Catholic high school, Spade attended the University of Kansas. It does not store any personal data.Spade was born Katherine Noel Brosnahan in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of June (Mullen) and Francis (Frank) Brosnahan, who owned a road-construction company. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

Kate spade new york