On the morning of June 5, 2018, Kate Spade was pronounced dead in her Manhattan apartment, where she was found hanging from a scarf. She left a note at the scene, but the police have declined to make it public.

Spade was a fashion designer famous for her handbags, which were marketed as an alternative to other, gaudier bags that were popular in the 1990s, when Spade founded her company. The “Kate Spade” brand quickly became a quintessential lifestyle brand, as Spade herself embodied the aesthetic of her products. By the time she sold the majority share of her company to Neiman Marcus in 1999, it had an impressive $28 million in sales. Spade’s bags and other accessories had a distinctly American feel, and she and her husband, Andy Spade, maintained a down-to-Earth, all-American image in the media. According to the New York Times, “Ms. Spade built a brand on the appeal of clothes and accessories that made women smile”. This notion is reflected in Spade’s imaginative and bold designs.

A year before her passing, Spade’s namesake label was sold to Coach for a whopping $2.4 billion dollars, and while she did not profit directly from the sale, it demonstrated the timless appeal of her brand.

Spade donated much of the wealth she had accrued to promoting economic equality for women through the Kate Spade & Company Foundation.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).