AP/Peter Kramer/STAR MAX/IPx
Kate Spade in 2002.
- Kate Spade became divorced from her namesake brand when she sold it to Neiman Marcus in 2006.
- She created a new brand called Frances Valentine in 2016, after taking time off to raise her daughter and pursue philanthropy.
- But her name was never legally Kate Spade. The brand name was created as a combination of her first name and the last name of her husband, David Spade, before they were married.
- She also later decided to change her name to Kate Valentine, though her full legal name was Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan.
For Kate Spade, name was everything.
The late fashion designer and icon, who was found dead in her apartment on Tuesday in an apparent suicide, hadn't been connected to her namesake brand since she sold it to Neiman Marcus in 2006.
Kate Spade was never legally named Kate Spade, however. She never changed her name when she married Andy Spade in 1994, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kate Spade, the brand, was actually just a combination of her first name and Andy's last name.
Over time, it came to be synonymous with the person, even after she no longer had any control over the Kate Spade brand. Kate later created a new brand, called Frances Valentine, that launched its first collection in 2016.
"Frances is a longtime family name on my dad's side," she told Women's Wear Daily in a 2015 interview. "My grandfather, father, brother and my daughter's name is Frances. And then Valentine was my mom's dad's middle name because he was born on Valentine's Day."
But it was more than just a connection to family. It was a whole new identity for Kate, who came to be known as Kate Valentine in an attempt to separate herself from the brand that carried the moniker she was still widely known by.
"It kind of makes [me] sound kind of cool, like a rap star or something," she told Business of Fashion in 2016. "But we're not trying to be cheeky or coy. It really was to distinguish the name, and separate the two worlds. Obviously we're super proud of Kate Spade and we want to be respective of both."
But Kate Valentine wasn't her legal name either. Her real, legal name, as she told the Wall Street Journal in 2016, was Katherine Noel Frances Valentine Brosnahan. It's no surprise she didn't try and print that on a handbag.
Remembering Kate Spade:
- 'You don't know me but I know you': After Kate Spade's death, people are sharing how the designer touched their lives through fashion
- Kate Spade has died in an apparent suicide at 55. Here's the story behind the rise of her handbag empire.
- Kate Spade shared how she wanted to be remembered in a 2002 interview
- Kate Spade leaves behind her husband and business partner. Here's what we know about their relationship.
- Kate Spade's fans are reacting to her apparent suicide with reminders about mental health
- Celebrities and fashion industry figures are reacting to Kate Spade's apparent suicide
- Kate Spade's fashion brand's final major ad campaign before her death was called 'Where Is Kate?' and featured a detective played by her husband searching for the fleeing designer