CREATED AN ICONIC BRAND AND
BECAME ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL
FORCES IN FASHION.
SPADE TRAGICALLY TOOK HER OWN
LIFE LAST YEAR.
IN A MOMENT WE'RE GOING TO TALK
TO HER LONG-TIME BEST FRIEND
ELYCE ARONS AND KATE'S NIECE
RACHEL BROSNAHAN.
THEY'RE HERE WITH A VERY
PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO KATE AND TO
TELL US ABOUT A NEW COLLECTION
WHERE KATE'S CREATIVE VISION
MOVES ON.
FIRST MORE ON THE BRAND.
KATE SPADE WAS THE WOMAN AND
NAME BEHIND THE MULTIMILLION
DOLLARS FASHION EMPIRE, FAMOUS
FOR THOSE ICONIC HANDBAGS, A
STATUS SYMBOL FOR YOUNG WOMEN
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SHE STARTED THE COMPANY WITH HER
HUSBAND ANDY SPADE IN 1993 AFTER
WORKING AS A MAGAZINE FASHION
EDITOR.
>> I FELT THAT I HAD A GOOD
FEELING, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT WAS
GOING ON, BUT STILL COULDN'T
FIND A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I
WAS INTERESTED IN WEARING OR
WHAT I NEEDED FOR A LOT OF PHOTO
SHOOTS.
>> AFTER TURNING THE BRAND INTO
A HOUSEHOLD NAME, THE COUPLE
SOLD THEIR STAKE IN THE COMPANY
FOR NEARLY $60 MILLION TO SPEND
TIME WITH THEIR NEWBORN
DAUGHTER.
>> IT WAS A GREAT TIME FOR US TO
TAKE A BREAK, AND IT WAS MUCH
NEEDED.
>> A DECADE LATER THE SPADES
LAUNCHED A NEW FASHION LINE
NAMED AFTER THEIR LITTLE GIRL
FRANCES VALENTINE, BUT JUST TWO
YEARS LATER, THE WORLD WAS
SHOCKED BY THE NEWS OF KATE'S
UNTIMELY DEATH.
SHE COMMITTED SUICIDE LAST YEAR
AT THE AGE OF 55.
TRIBUTES FOR THE LATE DESIGNER
POURED IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
HER BROTHER-IN-LAW AND COMEDIAN
DAVID SPADE POSTING THIS PHOTO
SAYING SHE COULD MAKE ME LAUGH
SO HARD.
I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
AND HER NIECE, THE MARVELOUS
MRS. MAISEL STAR RACHEL
BROSNAHAN, RECENTLY PAYING
TRIBUTE TO HER AUNT ON
INSTAGRAM, BUT HER NAME AND
LEGACY LIVE ON THROUGHOUT HER
WORK, HER LAST DESIGNS NEARLY
SELLING OUT WITHIN A DAY OF HER
PASSING.
NOW FRANCES VALENTINE IS OUT
WITH ITS LATEST COLLECTION, LOVE
KATY, A TRIBUTE TO HER MEMORY
AND STYLE AND VISION.
>> GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> KATE SPADE WAS JUST SO
INTERESTING BECAUSE SO MANY OF
US FELT LIKE WE KNEW HER BECAUSE
YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY KNEW HER IN
SUCH A DIFFERENT WAY, HER NIECE
AND HER BEST FRIEND.
TELL US, ELYCE, ABOUT THE KATE
WE DIDN'T KNOW, THE ONE YOU
KNEW.
>> SHE HAD THE BEST SENSE OF
HUMOR OF ANYONE I'VE EVER KNOWN.
SHE WAS A PRACTICAL JOKER.
WE HAD SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER.
WE CONSTANTLY PLAYED PRACTICAL
JOKES ON EACH OTHER.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
IT'S ONLY BEEN SEVEN MONTHS, AND
I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW QUICK
TIME GOES.
I REMEMBER WHEN I LOST SOMEONE
CLOSE TO ME, I REMEMBER ALWAYS
REACHING TO PICK UP THE PHONE.
LIKE YOU ALMOST FORGET SHE WAS
THAT CLOSE TO YOU, DO YOU STILL
FEEL HER PRESENCE?
>> I STILL WANT TO PICK UP THE
PHONE OFTEN, YES.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO TALK
TO HER ABOUT?
>> IT COULD BE ANYTHING.
IT COULD BE ANYTHING.
>> YEAH?
>> IT'S THE DAILY THINGS THAT
YOU CALL YOUR BEST FRIEND ABOUT,
YOU SAY, YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT
JUST HAPPENED TO ME.
I DO MISS THAT.
>> RACHEL, YOU POSTED SOMETHING
ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT JUST STRUCK
ME.
THESE WERE I GUESS THE FIRST
WORDS ABOUT HER.
YOU DESCRIBED YOUR AUNT, AND YOU
SAID SHE WAS EXCEEDINGLY KIND,
BEAUTIFULLY SENSITIVE, INSANELY
TALENTED, FUNNY AS HECK, AND ONE
OF THE MOST GENEROUS PEOPLE I'VE
EVER KNOWN.
SHE WAS EFFERVESCENT.
SHE HAD AN EFFERVESCENT HUG.
PLEASE HUG YOUR LOVED ONES TIGHT
TONIGHT.
WHAT DID YOU LOSE THE DAY THAT
KATE PASSED?
>> I MEAN ONE OF THE CLOSEST
MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY CERTAINLY,
AND AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, ONE OF
THE KINDEST AND MOST GENEROUS
PEOPLE I'VE EVER HAD THE
PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING.
>> MM-HMM.
>> AND, YOU KNOW, WE WERE SO
TOUCHED, YOU KNOW, IN HEARING IN
THE WAKE OF THIS UNTHINKABLE
TRAGEDY THAT WE ALL EXPERIENCED
TOGETHER, HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE
HAD BEEN TOUCHED EITHER BY HER
PERSONALLY, BY HER WORK, BY HER
DESIGNS.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY
MEANT A LOT TO US AND STILL
DOES.
>> SHE DOES LIVE ON THROUGH HER
WORK.
I MEAN SHE WAS SUCH A CREATIVE
FORCE, AND THERE IS SORT OF A
NEW LINE THAT'S OUT THERE, AND
IS IT VINTAGE KATE SPADE?
IT.
IT'S KEEPING KATE'S DESIGNS AND
CREATIVITY AND SPIRIT ALIVE
THROUGH FRANCES VALENTINE WITH
BEAUTIFUL BAGS, AND THEY'RE
REALLY CLASSIC.
THEY ARE SOMETHING YOU COULD
WEAR TEN YEARS AGO OR TEN YEARS
FROM NOW AND STILL PULL THAT
PIECE OUT OF YOUR CLOSET, AND
SAY, OH, MY, I LOVE THAT PIECE,
I LOVE IT.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER, RACHEL, THE
FIRST PIECE YOU EVER HAD OF
KATE'S?
>> YEARS AGO THERE WAS A RACHEL
BAG, SO I THINK THAT WAS
PROBABLY MY FIRST ONE.
I REMEMBER, YEAH, BUT AGAIN, I
SAID THIS, BUT IT WAS SO LOVELY
TO HEAR ALL THESE STORIES ABOUT
EVERYONE'S FIRST BAG.
AND FRANCES VALENTINE WAS KATE
AND ELYCE'S LATEST ENDEAVOR, AND
THE BAGS ARE JUST STUNNING.
THEY'RE BRIGHT AND COLORFUL AND
HAVE BEAUTIFUL SHAPES, AND I
KNOW KATE HAD ALWAYS TALKED
GRANDMOTHER JUNE, HER MOTHER
RIPPING THINGS STRAIGHT OUT OF
HER CLOSET.
I FEEL LIKE THAT SPIRIT LIVES ON
AS WELL.
IT'S REALLY LOVELY TO SEE THOSE
SPECIAL PIECES OF OUR FAMILY
REFLECTED THROUGH THIS
COLLECTION AND THE ONES BEFORE.
>> WHY DID YOU THINK IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO BE THE FACE OF
THIS?
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE SEEING
YOU WITH THIS LINE.
>> WHEN ELYCE ASKED, IT JUST
SEEMED LIKE THE MOST NATURAL
THING, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN
YOU LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE VERY,
VERY MUCH YOU SPEND A LOT OF
TIME TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW
TO KEEP THEIR SPIRIT ALIVE, HOW
THEY CAN LIVE ON FOR YOU, AND
THAT'S THROUGH MEMORIES.
BUT ALSO IN KATY'S CASE, THERE
IS SO MUCH OF HER LEFT BEHIND,
AND THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
US TO CELEBRATE HERR LIFE AND
HER LEGACY AND HOW MUCH SHE
MEANT NOT ONLY TO US BUT TO SO
MANY OTHER PEOPLE AND THE IMPACT
THAT SHE'S HAD ON THE FASHION
INDUSTRY.
IT WAS A REALLY SPECIAL
EXPERIENCE, AND THE COLLECTION
IS JUST BEAUTIFUL.
>> I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT
AS WE'RE SITTING HERE TALKING
ABOUT THIS, THERE ARE A LOT OF
PEOPLE WATCHING PROBABLY AT THIS
VERY MOMENT WHO ARE STRUGGLING
WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.
YOU KNOW, THEY WATCH AND THEY
WONDER, LIKE HOW TO FIND
STRENGTH.
IS THERE -- WHAT THOUGHTS DO YOU
HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO MAY BE GOING
THROUGH A REALLY JUST DIFFICULT
TIME, MAYBE IN THIS VERY MOMENT?
>> YEAH.
LIFE IS HARD.
THERE ARE SO MANY OF US WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED THE HIGH HIGHS AND
LOW LOWS THAT LIFE CAN CONTAIN,
AND I KNOW THAT IT CAN BE SO
DIFFICULT TO REACH UP OUT OF THE
DARKNESS, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY
NEVER EVER ALONE, AND PLEASE DO
REACH OUT, AND EVERYONE ELSE
REACH OUT TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU
LOVE AND REMIND THEM THAT YOU
LOVE THEM.
>> THANK YOU, GUYS.
THAT WAS BEAUTIFULLY SAID, AND
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS NEW
LINE.