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| Kate Spade: 'Fashion can't feel like a costume' | Kate Spade: 'Fashion can't feel like a costume' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The rise of American fashion designer Kate Spade, who turned her name into a global brand, reads like a classic American tale of a self-made businesswoman. | The rise of American fashion designer Kate Spade, who turned her name into a global brand, reads like a classic American tale of a self-made businesswoman. |
| She and her future husband built the accessories firm from their apartment, tapping into retirement savings to get a start. | She and her future husband built the accessories firm from their apartment, tapping into retirement savings to get a start. |
| They would later sell the company and start again. | They would later sell the company and start again. |
| Raised in Missouri as Kate Brosnahan, Ms Spade attended an all-girls Catholic high school and Arizona State University. | Raised in Missouri as Kate Brosnahan, Ms Spade attended an all-girls Catholic high school and Arizona State University. |
| It was there that she met her future husband Andy Spade, brother of the Hollywood comedian David, working in a clothing store. | It was there that she met her future husband Andy Spade, brother of the Hollywood comedian David, working in a clothing store. |
| They moved to New York, where she worked in advertising and as a fashion editor at Mademoiselle magazine before striking out on her own. | They moved to New York, where she worked in advertising and as a fashion editor at Mademoiselle magazine before striking out on her own. |
| In interviews, the businesswoman often said she was inspired to start her own company by her dislike of other handbags of the era and a desire for a more basic look. | In interviews, the businesswoman often said she was inspired to start her own company by her dislike of other handbags of the era and a desire for a more basic look. |
| "I thought, gosh, I mean, why can't we find something just clean and simple and modern?" she told NPR earlier this year. | "I thought, gosh, I mean, why can't we find something just clean and simple and modern?" she told NPR earlier this year. |
| To Ms Spade, who had a well-stocked purse collection before making a career out of it, clean did not have to mean boring. | To Ms Spade, who had a well-stocked purse collection before making a career out of it, clean did not have to mean boring. |
| Reds and shocking pinks filled out the palette of the firm's boxy nylon and leather totes, which drew the eye of a buyer from upmarket New York department store Barney's at an early trade show and quickly became a coveted status symbol among a certain preppy set. | |
| In 1999, when Neiman Marcus took a 56% stake, it paid more than $30m for the company, which eventually branched out to other accessories, including kitten heels and stationery. | In 1999, when Neiman Marcus took a 56% stake, it paid more than $30m for the company, which eventually branched out to other accessories, including kitten heels and stationery. |
| Kate Spade shares a sensibility with lines like Lilly Pulitzer and Tory Burch, American companies whose female founders gave them their name. | Kate Spade shares a sensibility with lines like Lilly Pulitzer and Tory Burch, American companies whose female founders gave them their name. |
| But the designer cultivated an image distinct from European fashion houses like Valentino and Chanel. | But the designer cultivated an image distinct from European fashion houses like Valentino and Chanel. |
| "Fashion can't feel like a costume." she said in an interview with the Boston Globe in 1999. | "Fashion can't feel like a costume." she said in an interview with the Boston Globe in 1999. |
| She once told Vogue that the brand was "not intimidating" - although it does keep elite company, with the Duchess of Cambridge among the firm's many customers. | She once told Vogue that the brand was "not intimidating" - although it does keep elite company, with the Duchess of Cambridge among the firm's many customers. |
| In 2006, the family announced they would sell their stake in their company. | In 2006, the family announced they would sell their stake in their company. |
| In retrospect, the moment looks like the end of an era - just before online shopping, the financial crisis, private equity owners and shifting fashions would put the entire retail industry on the back foot. | In retrospect, the moment looks like the end of an era - just before online shopping, the financial crisis, private equity owners and shifting fashions would put the entire retail industry on the back foot. |
| Undaunted by the changes, the couple announced a new line, Frances Valentine, about a decade later. | Undaunted by the changes, the couple announced a new line, Frances Valentine, about a decade later. |
| Ms Spade, who sometimes described herself as a nervous person, acknowledged the high stakes of that decision in an interview with NPR. | Ms Spade, who sometimes described herself as a nervous person, acknowledged the high stakes of that decision in an interview with NPR. |
| "There's still a lot of pressure, trust me," she said. | "There's still a lot of pressure, trust me," she said. |