Kate Spade addressed her daughter in her suicide note, according to two NYPD sources.
Women are posting photos of their Kate Spade bags — and sharing the stories behind them — to pay tribute to the designer.
A lawyer shared a photo of the bag she splurged on as a young professional, and a romance writer snapped a photo with her “therapy bag,” nicknamed because people smile when they see it.
Here’s a look at some of the posts:
“I hope she knows how happy she made complete strangers.”
“Thanking her for the comfort and joy she’s provided me.”
“It takes a beautiful mind to design beautiful things.”
Jenna Bush Hager, one of former President George W. Bush’s daughters, tweeted support to Kate Spade’s family and remembered the first Kate Spade bag she owned.
Here’s the full tweet:
NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea gave more details today about Kate Spade’s death, calling it a “tragic case of apparent suicide.”
He added that there was a note left at the scene.
Here’s a summary of what Shea said:
Cindi Leive, former editor in chief of Glamour magazine, said she was inspired by Kate Spade, who also once worked in the fashion magazine industry.
Spade quit her job as an accessories editor for Mademoiselle to begin her fashion empire.
Spade’s designs where a true reflection of her personality, Leive said.
Watch more:
Fashion designers are mourning the death of Kate Spade on Twitter — and celebrating her “most iconic brand.”
Actors, writers, politicians and other celebrities are posting Twitter tribunes to Kate Spade.
Several of the messages include mental health resources: Sharing links to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and other resources has become a growing social media movement since news of the designer’s death broke.
The company Kate and Andy Spade founded just released a statement about the designer’s suicide:
The company also sent out a tweet:
Ivanka Trump just tweeted out information to a suicide hotline in the wake of Kate Spade’s death. This has been a growing social media trend since the news broke of the designer’s suicide.
Kate Spade’s apparent suicide comes as suicide rates in the United States increased from 1999 to 2014 for everyone between the ages of 10 and 74, according to a 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For white women, the suicide rate increased by 60% during that period, the study found.
Spade hanged herself with a scarf she had allegedly tied to a doorknob in a New York City apartment. She was found by her housekeeper.
The CFDA released a statement on Kate Spade’s death. The note came from Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Kolb.
Here’s what they said:
News of Kate Spade’s death has prompted social media users to share the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and other suicide prevention resources along with messages encouraging anyone struggling to seek help.
The former first daughter just tweeted about the death of Kate Spade:
Kate Spade and her husband, Andy Spade, began building their iconic fashion empire in the ’90s.
Spade, a former accessories editor, started designing handbags in 1993, according to the brand’s website.
“Debuting with just six silhouettes, she combined sleek, utilitarian shapes and colorful palettes in an entirely new way,” the website says.
The first Kate Spade store opened in New York City in 1996.
Handbag giant Coach first announced plans to buy the company last year with a massive $2.4 billion deal. The parent company of Coach went on to spend nearly $3 billion to buy the Kate Spade clothing and handbag label and the Stuart Weitzman shoe brand.
But sales have been dropping this year: Same-store sales for Kate Spade plunged 9% in the first quarter because of a huge drop in online revenue.
Kate and her husband Andy recently sat down with NPR’s Guy Raz for an episode of “How I Built This” last year.
Spade, who worked at a fashion magazine at the time, talked about how the couple built and launched the handbag line from scratch.
Here’s what she told Raz about the night they came up with the idea:
“How I Built This” remembered the designer in a tweet:
You can listen to the entire interview here.
Kate Brosnahan Spade hanged herself with a scarf in an apparent suicide at a New York City apartment Tuesday according to a NYPD source.
A second NYPD source says the call came in at 1030 this morning and a suicide note was found.
