Kate Spade New York

founded by

Kate Brosnahan

belongs to

Lis Calaiborne, Inc.

about

It all started back in 1993, when Kate Brosnahan, a former accessories editor at Mademoiselle, set out to design the sleek, utilitarian handbag she'd been craving for years, but couldn't find on the market. Along with her husband, Andy Spade, they launched their New York-based design company � Kate Spade Handbags� in January 1993, selling mainly handbags. Today Kate Spade sells a variety of items including stationery, personal organizers, address books, shoes, beauty products, perfume, raincoats, pajamas, eyewear, and in 2004, launched "Kate Spade at Home." The home collection includes bedding, bath items, china, various items for the home and wallpaper.

In 1996, Kate Spade opened its first shop in New York City's SoHo. In 1998, Kate Spade opened its doors in Boston, in 2000, Chicago, San Francisco, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Manhasset, Long Island. In the spring of 2003, one more store opened in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. From there, a wave of boutiques opened in 2004, in Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, Scottsdale, Dallas, and Boca Raton. The last boutiques that were opened were in Las Vegas, Palo Alto, Somerset Collection, Troy Michigan King of Prussia, Pennsylvania and Huntsville, Alabama. New stores were planned for Fall 2008 at The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Chestnut Hill, MA, Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh, Westfield Galleria at Roseville in Roseville, CA and also in Arden Fair Mall in Sacramento, CA. The kate spade store at The Westchester in White Plains recently opened. In 2004, the Kate Spade brand went international, opening a store in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan.

The brand currently has many Kate Spade boutiques around the world: 46 in the United States, 32 in Japan, 6 in Hong Kong, and 4 in the Philippines as well as 2 in Jakarta.In 2004, Women's Wear Daily reported that Kate Spade had sales of $125 million. It was predicted that in fiscal 2005, sales could reach and surpass $200 million. The Neiman Marcus Group bought a majority stake in Kate Spade in 1999.

In 2007, this iconic American brand was acquired by design powerhouse Liz Claiborne, Inc. Deborah Lloyd, formerly of Banana Republic and Burberry, took the helm as creative director and co-president that same year, with an aim to broaden the product line while honoring Kate Spade's core values.