Kate Spade‘s accessories brand Frances Valentine, launched 10 years after she stepped away from her namesake handbag company Kate Spade New York, paid tribute to the late designer one day after her death.
Kate Spade New York alsopaid tribute to its late founderthrough the brand’s social media channels Tuesday in the wake ofher shocking and sudden death.
“Kate Spade, the visionary founder of our brand, has passed,” the message read. “Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly heartbreaking time. We honor all the beauty she brought into this world.”
A former Frances Valentine publicist also shared the following statement with PEOPLE: “This is incredibly sad. I had the opportunity to work with Kate when she launched Frances Valentine and I so enjoyed working with her and her incredible team. She was such a wonderful, kind, humble, creative person.”
The brand captioned a photo of the designer, “Your wit, charm, style and grace was an inspiration to all. You’ll be deeply missed.”
Spade, 55,was found dead in her New York City apartment of an apparent suicideTuesday, PEOPLE confirmed. A housekeeper discovered her, according to a police source.
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“We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly,” they said. “We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
Spade, née Katherine Noel Brosnahan, founded her namesake label with her husband Andy Spade in 1993. (They share a 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix.) Thanks largely to her colorful handbags, the companyrose through the years to billion-dollar prominenceeven as she sold her ownership stake in 2006.
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In 2016, she returned from a years-long fashion hiatus to launch a new accessories, handbag and shoes brand,Frances Valentine, named after her daughter.
“I needed a break and I really wanted to raise my daughter,” she told PEOPLE. “People asked me, ‘Don’t you miss it?’ I really didn’t. I mean, I loved what I was doing, but I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I might.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
source: people.com
