Designer Behind Old Pasadena Retail Store Found Dead in Apparent Suicide

Designer Kate Spade, the designer whose inspirations were behind a handbag empire which exploded into the nationwide retail chain which operates a store on West Colorado Boulevard, was found dead in an apparent suicide Tuesday morning. She was 55.

The designer was found by her housekeeper at her home on Manhattan’s Park Avenue at 10:20 a.m. EST.

Spade launched Kate Spade New York in 1993 after working as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine.

Spade and her husband and business partner Andy Spade grew the brand into a worldwide powerhouse, before selling a majority stake to luxury department store Neiman Marcus in 1999.

In 2017 Coach agreed to purchase handbag and accessories company Kate Spade for $2.4 billion. The retail operation has more than 175 retail outlets around the world.

She is survived by her husband, Andy, and daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade.