How Kate Spade designs impacted admirers: 'Color, joy and friendship' – CNET
How Kate Spade designs impacted admirers: ‘Color, joy and friendship’
Social media users share photos of the designer’s handbags in her memory, with many calling their buy a symbol of career accomplishment or adulthood.
News of designer Kate Spade’s death came as a shock to many on Tuesday. Spade, 55, left behind her husband and a 13-year-old daughter.
Kate Spade was found dead today at the age of 55 following an apparent suicide. The renowned designer was known for her handbags and was a wife and mother. https://t.co/nQ0birzZbq pic.twitter.com/K5mB8Ray5a
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 5, 2018
It didn’t take long before the details of Spade’s death by suicide were readily available online, including seemingly private details such as the contents of a note left behind, and the sad specifics of her death.
But many of those who adored Spade’s handbags and other products chose not to dwell on the gossip, and instead, memorialized her in a touching way on social media. Twitter users are sharing images of beloved items they owned from the designer’s various product lines — especially the handbags Spade was known for, but shoes, dresses and other pieces as well.
The headline on the New York Times’ obituary summed it up well, saying Spade’s handbags “carried women into adulthood.” The verb “carried” paired eloquently with the thought of women carrying Kate Spade bags, and it expressed a social reality about how the purses fit into many buyers’ lives. Some shared how they aspired to someday afford a Spade bag, and made it a priority purchase when they cashed their first adult paycheck.
Dozens of corresponding social posts from customers echoed those thoughts independently. Many shared not just a photo, but also a little mini-history lesson on what Spade and her creations meant to them.
Some of those mourning Spade, like Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton, are famous in their own right. “I am heartbroken about the news of Kate Spade,” actor and comedian Mindy Kaling wrote. “I have worn her clothes many, many times. They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them.”
My grandmother gave me my first Kate Spade bag when I was in college. I still have it. Holding Kate’s family, friends and loved ones in my heart.
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade’s tragic passing is a painful reminder that we never truly know another’s pain or the burden they carry. If you are struggling with depression and contemplating suicide, please, please seek help. https://t.co/eruSexNoGj
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 5, 2018
I am heartbroken about the news of Kate Spade. I have worn her clothes many, many times. They were colorful, bold, cheerful, and encouraged women to find the twinkly person inside them. You couldn’t walk into her boutiques and not smile. Rest In Peace, Kate.
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) June 5, 2018
Many shared photos of their Kate Spade handbags, in all sizes and colors. “I wanted a bag so badly that my parents threw me a Kate Spade themed 13th birthday party,” young actress Peyton Kennedy wrote.
for pretty much all of high school, I fantasized about a future in which I carried the kate spade “all typed up clyde” satchel to my fancy NYC writer job. Saw a girl on the subway just last month holding one and we shared a giant smile https://t.co/resn0mxj2m pic.twitter.com/BmlogVstd9
— Julia Carpenter (@juliaccarpenter) June 5, 2018
True story: One of my dreams was to own a #KateSpade handbag & I vowed that if I ever made the NY Times Best Seller List, I would buy one. When AVIATOR’S WIFE made the list, I did – here’s the photo I sent to my editor when I bought it. pic.twitter.com/p2QPjKavt2
— Melanie Benjamin (@MelanieBen) June 5, 2018
I wanted a bag so badly that my parents threw me a Kate Spade themed 13th birthday party. ♠️ pic.twitter.com/6W0M580Pn1
— Peyton Kennedy (@peyton_kennedy) June 5, 2018
I bought myself a Kate Spade bag for every book deal – and they have started so many conversations with strangers. She has brought colour, joy and friendship into my life, and I am heartbroken for her daughter. If you are feeling low or suicidal, call @Samaritans free on 116 123. pic.twitter.com/xWyefFOqOd
— j a c k |??? (@BootstrapCook) June 5, 2018
I still have my 1st Kate Spade bag, a simple black Sam bag. And today I carried one with me as I traipsed around Amalfi. Kate’s designs made women everywhere smile and feel beautiful. What a loss. pic.twitter.com/iK3bmAg9gJ
— Tracy Russo (@tracyrusso) June 5, 2018
Some spoke of giving Spade’s purses as presents, or of the inspiring quotes that come with them.
The first gift I bought the love of my life was a Kate Spade bag and I remember inside there was a card with the quote ‘She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes’. It encapsulated the girl I love perfectly. She had a way of encapsulating magnificence. Thoughts with her family
— Francis Maxwell (@francismmaxwell) June 5, 2018
My favourite Kate Spade quotes ?✨ she who leaves a trail of glitter will never be forgotten ? pic.twitter.com/K3d0FOH9eh
— Catherine ? (@catherine_mw) June 5, 2018
my glasses are by Kate Spade and I picked them because they have the Dorothy Parker quote about girls who wear glasses printed on the inside ?
— introvertebrate (@w00bliette) June 5, 2018
Kate Spade’s brand ( to me) embodied the fearless young woman that I want to be. I hope even now that’s she’s gone that will continue. All of those quotes scribbled in gold writing on journals and bag cases were reminders that I could be unstoppable. #katespadeRIP
— Nia Decaille (@shesdecaille) June 5, 2018
And many told touching stories of what aspiring to buy a Kate Spade bag meant to them. “I was a poor kid at a rich school,” one Twitter user wrote. “That bag was like armor and camouflage and a hall pass that diminished the pain of being on the wrong side of my high school’s economic divide.”
I carried a Kate Spade black nylon diaper bag when my kids were babies in the 90’s
We are moving, on Sunday we were packing and my husband said “do you want to save this” I said OMG it held up great, I’m giving it to the first one of our kids that gets pregnant ❤️??— Mayday Mindy ? (@maydaymindy9) June 5, 2018
i stole a kate spade purse from a department store when i was 15 and wore it every day for years. i was a poor kid at a rich school. that bag was like armor and camouflage and a hall pass that diminished the pain of being on the wrong side of my high school’s economic divide.
— Jessica Blankenship (@blanketboat) June 5, 2018
Nothing can quite describe the feeling of being a young woman and buying yourself a Kate Spade bag, feeling so adult and crisp and professional and fancy all at the same time. She and her considerable talent will be missed ?
— Emma Gray (@emmaladyrose) June 5, 2018
When I had my 1st interview for the job I really wanted, I went and bought this bag to bring with me. I now bring it with me to work every day for the job I really wanted (and ended up getting). Thanks Kate Spade for giving people confidence and fearlessness with your work♠️ pic.twitter.com/Jf4QIMQYJO
— Bryana (@BryanaK13) June 5, 2018
And because of the method of her death, many were reminded that struggles with mental-health issues do not skip over the wealthy and famous.
Mental health issues do not discriminate. By all accounts, Kate Spade “had it all”-money, success, fame. None of these things matter when you are sick. Kate was not selfish. Kate was not weak. Kate was sick. #MentalHealthMatters https://t.co/vuJ1mddwng
— Trenni Kusnierek (@trenni) June 5, 2018
Depression does not discriminate and comes without warning. RIP Kate Spade. Love to her family.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
— josh groban (@joshgroban) June 5, 2018
Dear Kate Spade,
Although I didn’t know you personally, I loved you through your bag designs. You will be missed. Let’s also take a moment to remember how important mental health is. ??
— Mirai Nagasu (@mirai_nagasu) June 5, 2018
Incredibly saddened by Kate Spade’s tragic suicide at only 55. Depression is a life threatening illness just like heart disease, cancer, or sepsis. There should be no stigma about mental health—only treatment, awareness, and compassion.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 5, 2018
Mental health knows no economic boundaries, and your “Kate Spade was rich, what did she have to be sad about?” takes have no place here.
REMINDER: National Suicide Prevention Hotline number (1-800-273-8255)
— Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) June 5, 2018
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