Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Her death is believed to be a suicide, but few details are currently available.

Spade was born on December 24, 1962, under the name Katherine Brosnahan. She worked for a time as the accessories editor of “Mademoiselle” magazine, but she found the handbags of the era to be over-accessorized. Spade wanted a “functional bag that was sophisticated and had some style,” but none existed. In 1993, Spade teamed up with the man who would later become her husband, Andy Spade, and a friend named Elyce Arons to found her own company. Originally, the company was named after all three founders, but it was Spade’s name that came to be associated with the handbags.

After Spade’s first show, she wanted to give her products a little something extra. For that reason, she moved the inside label to the outside of the bag. The simple change created a brand identity and started a trend among handbags that would continue for years.

Kate Spade bags were an instant hit with career women, and the successes of the handbags would later spread to young girls as a form of a status symbol. The modern, sleek look of the bags combined with bold colors created pieces that were beloved by celebrities as well as career women. The bags rapidly found a niche as preppy but functional accessories.

Kate Spade became the face of the brand, and her success paved the way for other female designers such as Tory Burch and Jenna Lyons. Joe Zee, the former creative director of “Elle” and former fashion director of “W,” said that Spade “knew what the fashion world needed before [it] did. Kate just did what she felt was right, regardless of what the industry would think.”

The Kate Spade brand exploded and was renamed Kate Spade & Co. There are now more than 140 Kate Spade New York retail shops and outlets across America and more than 175 stores internationally. Kate Spade herself was a two time winner of the CFDA International Award and has been hailed as a fashion visionary. She is survived by her husband, Andy Spade; her daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade; her brother-in-law, David Spade; and her niece, Rachel Bosnahan.