Drinking and Depressed, Kate Spade Hangs Herself With a Red Kate Spade Branded Scarf

Fashion designer Kate Spade hung herself with a Kate Spade scarf. First Responders found the fashion maven hanging from a doorknob and a scarf in her Manhattan apartment. She was 55 years old and suffering from clinical depression, for which she was taking medication.

Spade hanged herself with a scarf on a doorknob in her apartment and was found by a housekeeper around 11 a.m. Tuesday, Police said.

Kate Valentine, formerly known as Kate Spade, was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. She was known to suffer from depression.

Spade was the namesake and former co-owner of the designer brand, Kate Spade New York. In 2006, she sold the last of her shares in that company. Wikipedia

Brosnahan was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from St. Teresa's Academy, an all-girl Catholic high school. She attended the University of Kansas and then transferred to Arizona State University, joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, and graduated with a degree in journalism in 1985. She was of Irish descent.

In 1986, she worked in the accessories department of Mademoiselle in Manhattan, where she was credited in the magazine's masthead with her maiden name as Katy Brosnahan. While at Mademoiselle, she moved in with Andy Spade (brother of actor and comic David Spade), a native of Scottsdale, Arizona. The two had worked side-by-side as salespersons in a men's clothing store, Carter's Men Shop in Phoenix. Together, they were featured in the magazine as part of a photo story on couples in love.

She left Mademoiselle in 1991, with the title of senior fashion editor/head of accessories. While working for Mademoiselle, she had noticed that the market lacked stylish and sensible handbags, and she decided to create her own.

Kate and Andy Spade launched the New York–based design company "kate spade handbags" in January 1993. As the name implies, they initially sold mainly handbags, but eventually extended to clothing, jewelry, shoes, stationery, eyewear, baby items, fragrances, tabletop, bedding and gifts. In 1996, the Kate Spade brand opened its first boutique, a 400-square-foot shop located in Manhattan's trendy SoHo district, and moved its headquarters into a 10,000-square-foot space in West 25th Street.

In 2004, "Kate Spade at home" was launched as a home collection brand. It featured bedding, bath items, china, wallpaper and various items for the home. She also shared about her personal style and philosophies in her three books: Manners, Occasions, and Style. The brand went international in 2004, when a store was opened in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan.

Spade was co-founder and designer of Frances Valentine, a handbag and footwear brand that launched in February 2016. In 2018, to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of her new brand, Frances Valentine launched a new campaign called "Where is Kate?" that includes a short film produced and directed by Andy Spade.

Spade married Andy Spade, the brother of actor/comedian David Spade, in 1994. The couple has one child, Frances Beatrix Spade, born in February 2005. Her niece is actress Rachel Brosnahan.

Neiman Marcus Group purchased 56% of the Kate Spade brand in 1999, and acquired the remaining 44% in 2006. Neiman Marcus sold the Kate Spade label in 2006 for $124 million to Liz Claiborne Inc., which was later renamed to Fifth & Pacific.

In February 2014, Fifth & Pacific changed its name to Kate Spade & Company. Craig A. Leavitt became the new CEO, succeeding William McComb.

Coach, Inc. acquired Kate Spade for $2.4 billion in May 2017.

Kate Spade New York has over 140 retail shops and outlet stores across the United States, and more than 175 shops internationally. Their products are sold in more than 450 stores worldwide. The company grew to include retail outlets as well as selling their products through such high-end stores as Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.