Those who say that money can't buy happiness clearly haven't owned a Kate Spade handbag. Katherine Noel Brosnahan, commonly known by her alter ego, Kate Spade, launched her first signature line of handbags in 1993, stunning the fashion industry with a collection of sleek utilitarian accessories complete with bold patterns and color combinations.
After initial success with the line, Spade opened her own boutique in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. An entrepreneur at heart, Spade quickly rose to prominence as a designer and business mogul. Spade took on her husband as a business partner and the duo began selling the products in high-end retail outlets like Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The handbags became so popular Spade launched an international brand and expanded her designs to include clothing, accessories, office supplies and home decor — sold in over 450 stores globally.
Her handbags, unlike the beat-up 90s leather satchels and plain-jane pocketbooks, were meant to be artworks in themselves. Kate Spade bags weren't added to an outfit as an afterthought. No, the outfits were chosen to fit the bags. And, none of this one-lipstick-holding Victorian era wrist-strap bullshit. Spade knew that the modern person needed a bag to carry a lifetime's worth of essentials, a reflection of the chaos of New York City living. Spade made a bag that blended effortlessly with your black-tie gown, but could fit the makeup wipes, phone charger, lipstick, deodorant, keys, hardware tools and everything else it took to maintain that look for the entire evening.
Her genius was recognized in 1996 when the Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded Spade with the "America's New Talent in Accessories" Award. In later years Spade will have her work exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, win several design awards for her home decor and be named one of Fact Company's Most Creative People in Business.
Born in Kansas City Missouri in 1963, Spade attended the University of Kansas and Arizona State University for a degree in Journalism. After 5 years working for the fashion magazine Mademoiselle, Spade became a senior editor and head of accessories. Her passion for design quickly overcame her need for a steady career. Spade quit the magazine to start her own line of products.By 2006, Spade sold her company to several shareholders to write 3 books, invest in a television company and create a new line of shoes and accessories with designer Paola Venturi called Frances Valentine. Even so, she continued on at her company to consult and maintain the brand's impeccable image. Her restless mind in the dogmatic pursuit of creativity reminds one of the creatives described by Gardner. According to Gardner, creatives can often move from project to project if he or she feels that their previous efforts in creativity have been exhausted, i.e. Graham and her tendency to continuously reform and out-stage her previous performances.
Tragically, Spade committed suicide on June 5, 2018, leaving behind a loving husband, daughter and an industry of respected colleagues, fans and admirers. Spade's husband revealed to the public that Spade had been dealing with depression for the past 6 years. Not wanting to misinterpret or be insensitive to Spade's experience, I will tread lightly when comparing Spade's struggle with mental illness to those researched by Kaufman and Baer.My own thoughts on the subject are as followed. Spade lived in a creative world tightly constrained by consumer culture, a capitalistic mindset and a massive field of critics. To continually push the boundaries on her art form and still remain profitable enough to please consumers and shareholders alike would have been immensely difficult. Secondly, unlike the female poets discussed in the study, Spade's choice of art form wasn't exactly free for expression. To please all the smiling consumers chomping at the bit to get ahold of a pastel pink handbag, Spade couldn't take time off for herself or create lines that may have more accurately reflected her mental state. Her storefronts looked like a mix between Chanel and Willy Wonka's factory, but the beautiful facade hid the brewing sadness underneath.
Spade's company, renamed Kate Spade and Co., lives on in her name. Designers and family members close to Spade say that the continuation of the line and the beautiful creations inspired by her work is the best way to honor her memory. Regardless, her contributions to the field will be remembered by all those who wear her designs everyday with great pride and respect for such an accomplished artist.
References:
https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/kate-spade
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/kate-spade-12706.php
Kaufman, J. C., & Baer, J. (2002). I Bask in Dreams of Suicide: Mental Illness, Poetry, and Women. Review of General Psychology, 6(3), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.3.271
Gardner, Howard. Creating Minds. Basic Books, 1993.
I think Kate Spade's tragic death was, in part, a reminder that mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of social status or level of success. While we cannot possibly know the details of her struggle with mental illness, it is obvious that she was wildly talented and created products that changed the existing domain of women's accessories. I do agree that the constraints of pleasing consumers and maintaining a perfectly crafted image could have been a stressor in Spade's life, as I'm sure it would be to almost anyone in that position.
ReplyDeleteEliana — I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Kate Spade as a creative. While we will never truly know how she struggled behind closed doors, I think your discussion of the limits of her field speak to the possibility of a creative fields effects on someone as talented as Spade. Functioning in a capitalist society as a creative absolutely imposes limits on a creatives ability to flow and be freely themselves — they have a brand to uphold. Spade's tragic death speaks to the effect of creativity in a Western capitalist society and what that can do to a person well-being.
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