Hardware Podcasts

Remembering Kate Spade

How I Built This · 5 Jun 2018 · 36m

What this episode covers

Kate and Andy Spade, the founders of Kate Spade New York, recount the garage-stage origins of their handbag company, starting with a 1991 conversation about simple, modern designs. They detail the early struggles of bootstrapping with burlap materials, funding operations through Andy's advertising salary, and nearly shutting down in 1995 after exhausting their savings. The company achieved product-market fit when major retailers like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue placed large orders, leading to a sale to Neiman Marcus Group and eventual expansion into categories like shoes and stationary.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Kate Spade New York, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney's, Fred Segel, Francis Valentine, Jack Spade
Also
CFDA

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