‘Buying a Kate Spade bag was a rite of passage’ – Hongkongers, fashion world pay tribute to designer following her suicide
Like the rest of the world, Hong Kong was seduced by American accessories designer’s quirky handbags – and just as stunned by her death at the age of 55
When news broke on Tuesday that designer Kate Spade, founder of the namesake leather goods brand, had taken her life in her New York apartment, it came as a shock to the fashion world.
While the woman behind the brand had been out of the spotlight since selling her company and hadn’t been involved in the label that bears her name for more than a decade, colourful Kate Spade bags and accessories are still staples in the wardrobes of women in Hong Kong and around the world.
The brand, which Spade and her husband Andy sold in 1999 and which was bought by leather-goods house Coach last year, has more than 175 stores around the world, including six in Hong Kong.
Spade, who started her career as a fashion editor, pioneered the concept of accessible luxury, offering relatively affordable bags that young, fashion-conscious women bought before upgrading to more expensive labels.
Making a trip to the mall to buy a Kate Spade bag is a tradition many women in the United States can remember from their teenage years, as fans of the brand, some famous, recalled in the hours after the 55-year-old’s death.
