- Sister-in-law of actor/comedian David Spade.
- Had one daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade (b. February 18, 2005), with her now widowed husband Andy Spade.
- In the last 10 months of her life, Kate lived separately from her husband of 24 years Andy Spade but they didn't plan to divorce. They lived in neighboring houses maintaining friendly relations and raising their daughter Frances together.
- Her father, Earl Francis Brosnahan, died on June 20, 2018 at the age of 89 - just 15 days after her death and one day before her funeral.
- Designed vegan clothing.
- Aunt of Rachel Brosnahan.
- A housekeeper found Spade dead from apparent suicide by hanging in her Manhattan apartment on June 5, 2018. The police said she had left a note addressed to her 13-year-old daughter Frances. It is being reported that Kate was depressed because of business problems and separation with her husband who wanted a divorce.
- Kate Spade was an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and fashion icon.
- She was the co-founder and co-owner of the designer brand Kate Spade New York.
- By 1986, the couple had moved to Manhattan. Kate worked in the accessories department at Mademoiselle. She left Mademoiselle in 1991, achieving the rank of senior fashion editor and head of accessories. While working for Mademoiselle, she had noticed that the market lacked stylish, affordable, and sensible handbags, so decided to create her own.
- Spade also published three books on the subjects of etiquette, entertainment, and fashion: Manners, Occasions, and Style, respectively.
- She joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduated with a journalism degree in 1985, thinking she would go into television production.
- Kate Spade sold a 56% stake in her business to Neiman Marcus Group, helping to expand the brand worldwide.
- 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.
- In 2004, "Kate Spade at Home" was launched as a home-collection brand. It featured bedding, bath items, china, wallpaper, table decor, flatware, and various decoration items. A Kate Spade store was opened in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan.
- After graduating from St. Teresa's Academy, an all-female Catholic high school, Spade attended the University of Kansas. She later transferred to Arizona State University.
- By 2006, Spade had sold the remaining 44% of her shares to Neiman Marcus Group. The group sold the label in 2006 to Liz Claiborne Inc., for $124 million; it was later renamed Fifth & Pacific. The company was later purchased by Coach, Inc. in May 2017; both Coach and Kate Spade are now part of Tapestry, Inc.
- A housekeeper found Spade dead in her Manhattan apartment on June 5, 2018. Her death was ruled a "suicide" by hanging with a red scarf.
- In 2017, she was inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
- In 2016, she launched a new collection of luxury footwear and handbags under the brand name Frances Valentine. The name stemmed from a hybrid of family names; Frances is a family name on Spade's paternal side. "Valentine" was Spade's maternal grandfather's middle name, having been born on Valentine's Day. Spade later legally added Valentine to her full name.
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