Kate Spade Family has garnered quite a lot of attention since the passing of Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan, professionally known as Kate Spade.
The late American fashion designer and businesswoman was a renowned designer of various fashion brands including handbags, purses, wallets, backpacks, watches, etc. Spade was the founder (since 1993) and former co-owner of the designer brand Kate Spade which is based in New York.
With her experience working in the accessories department at the fashion magazine Mademoiselle, Spade and her husband Andy Spade founded the sophisticated brand that was described as the symbol of New York City in the 1990s.
After selling her all shares to Neiman Marcus Group, Inc., a chain of luxury department stores, she went ahead to launch another fashion brand together with some business partners. Her sudden death on June 5, 2018, ruled as suicide by hanging, was a shock to Kate Spade’s family, friends, and every household who, at some point, have purchased one out of her many designs.
Kate Spade Family
Kate Spade was born (December 24, 1962) into an affluent family in Kansas City, Missouri. Her mother’s name is June (Mullen) and her father Earl Francis Brosnahan, owned a road-construction company.
According to ABC News Kate Spade has five siblings, but the only ones mentioned were her older brother Earl Brosnahan and Reta Brosnahan Saffo whom the report said has been estranged from their family for more than 10 years. And that Kate Spade was the only one among the six siblings to speak to her.
Spade is described by The New York Times as a nice girl who grew up with Buicks and Schwinns close to the country club in her birthplace. She attended the all-girls Catholic high school, St. Teresa’s Academy, enrolled in the University of Kansas but later transferred to Arizona State University where she graduated with a degree in Journalism in 1985.
Among Kate Spade’s family who cherished her were her brother-in-law Andy Spade, the famous Hollywood actor, stand-up comedian, writer, and TV personality; Rachel Brosnahan, Spade’s niece who is an actress best known for her role in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and House of Cards.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times at the time of Spade’s demise, Rachel revealed that her “aunt Katie’s influence was my grandmother, June, who always has a closet full of amazing scarves, shoes and handbags.
Kate Spade also has another niece Whitney Pozgay who runs the fashion brand WHIT. Each of her family members has wonderful words to describe her and no one seemed to expect her tragic death, except her sister Saffo who told the Kansas City Star that Spade’s death was “not unexpected by me.”
According to her, Spade displayed symptoms of mental illness for years.
Husband
Kate Spade’s husband, Andy Spade is a Michigan-born entrepreneur who co-founded the Kate Spade New York and Partners & Spade along with his wife Kate. He is the middle child among three brothers and was 9 years old when his family moved to Arizona. His brother David Spade is a famous Hollywood actor and comedian.
It was while attending Arizona State University that he met his wife Kate Brosnahan and they got married in 1994.
Before joining his wife’s business, Andy Spade had been into advertising since his days in college and even founded an advertising firm along with a friend that was named among Arizona’s Top 10 New Companies in 1987. He also worked on brands such as Lexus, Coca-Cola, Paul Stuart, etc. But decided to leave his career in 1996 to join his wife’s business. Together, they expanded the Kate Spade stores beyond the US market.
Besides managing the fashion and lifestyle brand, Andy Spade ventured into the production of feature films and book publications.
Although Kate and her husband Andy were still officially married at the time of her death, the couple had been living apart for 10 months, which left their only daughter Beatrix to split times with both parents.
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How Old is her Daughter?
Several years into their marriage, Kate and Andy Spade welcomed the birth of their only daughter Frances Beatrix Spade. She was born in February 2005 and was only 13 years old when her mother hanged herself with a scarf at their $6.2 million New York City apartment.
As hundreds of people gathered at a church in Kansas City on June 21, 2018, to mourn the death of 55-year-old Kate Spade, her daughter Beatrix was reportedly too torn up to attend.
In his eulogy, Andy Spade told the crowd that Kate was loved by many people; family and friends, and they both shared a lot of things together including their lovely daughter. He also said he and Kate had no idea they would accomplish so much to live the life they did.
Kate Spade has passed away, but her legacy in the fashion and style business lives on.
