Kate Spade Left 4 Seasons Worth of Collections for Frances Valentine Brand
Kate Spade may be gone, but she still has a lot to offer in the next four seasons of her new fashion brand Frances Valentine.
Speaking with Business Insider, the late fashion designer's friend Elyce Arons said via email that Spade left a lot of designs for the handbag and shoe line of Frances Valentine that is enough for four seasons.
Arons, who serves as the brand's managing partner, also revealed that Spade still has an "abundant library of her concepts" that they can use.
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Spade and her business partners established Frances Valentine in 2016 after selling her ownership in the Kate Spade brand in 2006. It presented a new collection of luxury handbags and footwear that she created after taking some time off to raise her daughter Frances Beatrix, now 13 years old.
The 55-year-old fashion designer and founder of Kate Spade New York was found dead by a housekeeper in her apartment in Manhattan on June 5. The authorities ruled that her cause of death was suicide by hanging.
According to Entertainment Tonight, all items on the Frances Valentine website immediately sold out a day after her death.
Due to the designer's death, the fate of the brand was placed in a tricky situation. However, Arons revealed that Spade made sure that they will still have a lot to offer for the next two years.
"We don't know what the future holds for us, but we are determined to continue to make her beautiful work live on through Frances Valentine. We will be stronger for her, more connected to each other through her." Arons stated.
The former Kate Spade New York head of operations also revealed that they also reach out to all their customers who share their grief.
"We have been inundated with calls and emails about product, but also about people's emotional connection to Kate," Arons also said. "She was authentic, and I think people sensed that and really felt close to her," Arons continued.
Spade's decision to end her life came as a shock to all her loved ones.
Her father Frank Brosnahan talked to The Kansas City Star to share how he felt when he learned about her death.
According to Brosnahan, he and his daughter spoke the night before she was found dead. "Well, I don't know what happened," he stated. "She'd been taking some pills, which I advised her not to take. The last I'd talked with her, the night before last, she was happy, planning a trip to California to look at colleges. She doted on her daughter," he went on to say.
However, the designer's father also revealed that while their large family is currently doing well, they will still miss Spade's bright presence.
He also said that he would want Spade's death to raise awareness about suicide and depression and let others who are also struggling with the same situation that help is always available. In addition, he claimed that his daughter would have loved to help anyone to avoid going through the same thing.
Aside from her daughter and father, Spade is also survived by her husband and business partner Andy Spade.
