Kate Spade’s royal and celebrity fans: From Kate Middleton to Reese Witherspoon

Kate Spade, 55, was the founder of fashion brand Kate Spade New York which she set up with her husband Andy Spade in 1993. The savvy business woman decided to create her own handbags after noticing a lack of stylish designs on the market when working as the accessories editor of Mademoiselle magazine.

The mother-of-one initially designed handbags but increased her repertoire to include clothing, shoes, jewellery and homeware.

After launching ‘Kate Spade at home’ in 2004 and opening a store in Japan, the designer agreed to sell her brand to Neiman Marcus group who already owned 56 per cent of the company. In 2006 they reportedly sold the label for $124 million to Liz Claiborne Inc.

Last year Kate Spade was purchased by luxury brand Coach for $2.4 billion.

The Kate Spade label has had a host of celebrity and royal admirers over the years, with Kate Middleton seen wearing the brand for many high-profile public engagements.

Look through this gallery to see Kate Middleton and nine celebrities in Kate Spade dresses.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a pink floral dress with bow detail to attend the World Mental Health Day celebration with Heads Together in 2016 and another Kate Spade number to visit the The Foundling Museum last year.

The stylish Royal also selected a pair of bold tasseled earrings from the label for a night at the theatre in 2017.

Unexpectedly it was reported in the news that the fashion designer had been found dead in her New York apartment. According to The Associated Press, it was an apparent suicide.

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