As someone who has been working at Kate Spade for more than two years, it’s easy for me to spot the latest trends when it comes to what the girlies are wearing and what’s in every season.
Kate’s Early Life
Before we delve into the cute bags, it’s important to know her history. Kate Spade was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She initially attended the University of Kansas, then transferred to Arizona State University, where she graduated in 1985 with a degree in journalism. During college, she worked in retail, where she met her future husband and business partner, Andy Spade.
After graduating, she moved to New York and landed a job at Mademoiselle magazine, where she worked in the accessories department. She eventually became the senior fashion editor and head of accessories. While working there, she noticed that many of the pieces she and her friends admired were high-end and out of reach. That realization inspired her to create handbags that filled the gap between luxury and affordability, which were stylish but still attainable.
Spade left Mademoiselle in 1991 and began developing her own handbag line, even though she had no formal design training. As she told NPR’s Guy Raz in 2017, “I honestly started with paper. I’d start by buying big sheets of white paper, and I would cut out and tape the shape that I wanted. Then I’d look at it and I’d make it shorter, smaller. … I went to a pattern maker that I found in the back of Women’s Wear Daily. She worked out of her apartment, and she was as patient as could be with me because I didn’t know anything.”
Her First Store
In January 1993, Kate and Andy Spade founded the brand and launched their first collection, the “Sam” bag, which featured a boxy silhouette and became their signature staple style. Just a few years later, in 1996, the brand opened its first standalone store in SoHo, Manhattan. The debut collection included six different styles, and the brand name was intentionally written in lowercase at the front. The reason the brand was such a hit is that Kate Spade wasn’t afraid to be different. She played with color and design, and emphasized this in an interview with Vogue: “We’re not intimidating. … I think some people get nervous about fashion because they find it a little scary. But fashion should be enjoyed; it shouldn’t be looked at from a jaded, been-there-done-that point of view.”
Her Legacy and Passing
Tragically, Kate Spade passed away in 2018 in her Manhattan apartment. The cause was suicide, which shocked the public and those close to her. According to her husband, she struggled with mental health challenges privately for years and sought help along the way. Her passing led to a larger conversation about mental health in the fashion world and beyond. Today, her brand continues to honor her legacy. In 2024, Kate Spade New York launched the Global Fund for Women’s Mental Health to support access to care and advocacy. Though she is no longer with us, her joyful vision lives on in the brand and continues to inspire people around the world.
Suede Bags in “Hot Fudge”
Dark brown has taken over the fashion world lately, and Kate Spade delivered, giving us some hot fudge bags in their suede material. As shown in my TikTok above, the bag’s name is “454,” iconically named after the address of Kate Spade’s first store on 454 Broome Street. There are multiple styles available in this colorway, depending on your size preference, and they truly make the best fall and winter bag.
Red Bags
Kate Spade dropped a stunning range of red bags this season in a mix of leathers and textures, and I’m obsessed. Red is the pop of color every bag rotation needs. As I showed in my TikTok above, there’s “KS Bright Red” in glossy patent leather, “Red Jam” in soft pebbled leather, a textured patent version, and “Perfect Cherry” in classic pebbled leather. With so many shades to choose from, these are easily the best holiday bags to add a little extra sparkle to your outfits.
Metallic Bags
This metallic material is so eye-catching and definitely a bag that’s going to turn heads. From my TikTok video shown above, it’s clear that there are so many different materials happening, and they’re all so uniquely beautiful. There’s a mirror metallic fabric, metallic croc-embossed, and crinkled metallic leather. You really can’t go wrong with any of these bags to add to your collection, since they all have the perfect holiday feel.
Carrying Her Spark
Kate Spade did not just create this amazing brand; she built a feeling that has continued. Every new drop continues to celebrate the joy and creativity that she brought to fashion. Whether you are shopping for a new holiday statement piece or your new everyday favorite, these bags prove that her colorful and fearless spirit lives on in this brand.