Kate and Andy Spade to launch Frances Valentine

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Nov 5, 2015

Kate and Andy Spade on Wednesday announced the launch of their new company, Frances Valentine. The shoe and handbag brand previewed its spring 2016 collection to the press today.

 
The Frances Valentine collection consists of several shoe styles like espadrilles, sandals and heels and features bag styles made in metallic leather and canvas. Prices for collection range from $225 to $725.
 
Kate Spade, the person, shared plans to reenter the fashion arena in June 2015. The husband-wife duo, Kate Spade co-founder, Elyce Arons, and Kate Spade design director, Paola Venturi stepped away from the company in July 2007, a year after it was acquired from the Neiman Marcus Group for $125 million from Liz Claiborne Inc. (currently known as Kate Spade & Company) The four have joined together again to launch the new brand.

The name Frances Valentine comes from a personal place for Kate Spade. Frances is the name of her grandfather, father, brother and daughter, and Valentine was her mother’s father’s middle name. She decided to go with the name since the Kate Spade name is currently in use. A trademark for the Frances Valentine name was filed in October 2014.
 
The Frances Valentine spring collection will ship on February 1 to Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Shopbop as well as specialty retailers in New York City, Connecticut, and Alabama. The brand’s first retail store is expected to open in New York City upon the collection’s launch.