Tributes Are Pouring In For Legendary Fashion Designer Kate Spade, Who Has Died At 55
"It’s funny how a purse can instantly make you feel like an adult."
Tributes are pouring in for legendary fashion designer Kate Spade after she was found dead in her apartment in New York on Tuesday following an apparent suicide.
An icon in women’s fashion, Spade designed clothes, shoes, and jewellery, but was best known for her accessory line, co-founding Kate Spade Handbags in 1993 with husband Andy Spade.
Actors Olivia Munn, Mindy Kaling, Viola Davis and Lena Dunham were among those who expressed their grief via social media.
My very first designer purse was a black, shoulder strap Kate Spade. I treasured it and was obsessed with keeping the little white Kate Spade label clean. It’s funny how a purse can instantly make you feel like an adult. Rest in love. ❤️❤️❤️⛅️
— om (@oliviamunn) June 5, 2018
I am heartbroken about the news of Kate Spade. I have worn her clothes many, many times. They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them. You couldn’t walk into her boutiques and not smile. Rest In Peace, Kate.
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade was more than a designer. She had a quirky visual language that captivated Bat Mitzvah girls and artists alike. She was also a staple of NYC who spread good will. My heart breaks for her family. Thank you, Kate, from one of the millions you made feel beautiful.
— ? Lena Dunham ? (@lenadunham) June 5, 2018
As “unfussy” as I am, I still loved my Kate Spade bags. Practical, classy, and elegant… Praying for her family…her husband and 13 yr old daughter.
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) June 5, 2018
My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart.
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 5, 2018
Ask any girl around my age about getting her first boxy Kate Spade bag and she’ll probably have a story to tell you. It was a magnificently simple cultural marker.
— Abby Gardner (@abbygardner) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade was the first designer handbag I ever bought for myself, and I adored the unabashed whimsicality of her work. I bought my frugal Asian mother a flowery Kate Spade bag and she carries it all the time #RIPKateSpade
— Diep Tran ??♀️ (@diepthought) June 5, 2018
i stole a kate spade purse from a department store when i was 15 and wore it every day for years. i was a poor kid at a rich school. that bag was like armor and camouflage and a hall pass that diminished the pain of being on the wrong side of my high school’s economic divide.
— Jessica Blankenship (@blanketboat) June 5, 2018
In a statement, Spade’s family said they were “devastated” by her passing.
“We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
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