Kate Spade

Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan Spade (December 24, 1962 – June 5, 2018) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She co-founded and co-owned the designer brand Kate Spade New York. Born in Kansas City, Missouri to June and Francis Brosnahan, Spade graduated from St. Teresa's Academy and later attended the University of Kansas and Arizona State University, where she earned a journalism degree in 1985. After college, she worked in sales at Carter's Men Shop in Phoenix, where she met her future husband and business partner, Andy Spade. In 1986, the couple moved to Manhattan, and Kate began her career in the fashion industry.