Kate Spade is the founder of the designer brand kate spade, New York.

Kate Brosnahan Spade grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a journalism degree at Arizona State University and began working at Mademoiselle magazine (where she was credited on the editorial masthead as Katy) in New York, where she met her longtime boyfriend Bradley Carvette.

She met her husband Andy Spade while at ASU, although they never dated there and were only good friends. It wasn't until many years later that they met up again in NYC that they started dating. Andy Spade grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona and is the older brother of famed actor David Spade. Together, Andy and Kate Spade, began the New York-based design company in 1993, selling mainly handbags and has now expanded to fashion accessories and home decor items.

There are 25 kate spade boutiques around the world. There are currently 16 in the United States, 5 in Japan, 3 in Hong Kong, and 1 in the Philippines. The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. owns a majority interest in kate spade. kate spade handbags have become a symbol of luxury and wealth and display personality and flair. Their colorful designs and famed nylon bags have become highly-desired items.

In 2004, Women's Wear Daily reported that kate spade had sales of $125 million. It is predicted that in fiscal 2005, sales could reach and surpass $200 million.

The New York Times famously criticized the simple boxy design of the women's handbags, which made it very easy for the counterfeiters to copy, in an article on fake handbag sales in New York City's Chinatown.

Jack Spade, a fictional name, is the men's brand of kate spade and its founder and principal designer is Kate's husband Andy Spade.

External links

• Kate Spade's biography
• kate spade (Note: The company intentionally uses lowercase letters.)