Who Is Frances Beatrix Spade? Everything About Kate Spade’s Daughter

Frances Beatrix Spade is the daughter of the late fashion designer Kate Spade (Catherine Noël Brosnahan) and her husband Andy Spade. Beatrice’s mother Kate went from being a great fashion designer to a suicide victim seemingly overnight.

To the outside world, Mrs. Spade, the woman who created eclectic yet practical handbags, was a cheerful and vivacious fashion journalist. With her partner Andy, she built an international design empire and a huge fashion empire.

The unexpected death of Frances’ mother “shocked the fashion world”. However, for years after her death, a series of new questions would pop up from time to time, each one asking questions ranging from her daughter’s whereabouts to what had happened to her past and present companies.

Find out all this, together with the most complete information about Frances Beatrice Spade, in the following paragraphs.

What Is Frances Beatrix Spade Doing These Days? 

Born on 18 February 2005, Frances Beatrix Spade is the daughter of Kate Spade and Andy Spade and is now 16 years old.

However, in recent years there has not been much talk about Kate and Andy’s only child. So it remains an unspoken question how Beatrice is doing these days.

Given her age, she is probably a secondary school pupil. It turns out, however, that Frances is not your average teenager, whose following on sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and the like is practically nil.

However, some sources report that the young woman has been living in California with her father.

Frances Beatrix Spade Has Two Appeared In Movies

Although she may not be as active on social media, Bea at least has her own IMDb page which lists her two film roles.

She played a small role in the 2008 film The Pleasure of Being Robbed. The film was made by her father, Andy Spade. Another film in which Bea appeared was the short film The Black Balloon in 2012.

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Frances Beatrix Spade’s Parents, Kate Spade And Andy Spade Knew Each Other Since College 

Andy and Kate were together for 24 years until the latter passed away in 2018. They met while attending college. The former couple, Catherine Brosnahan and Andy Spade grew up in Kansas City, Missouri.

Francesca’s parents married in 1994. That was a year after they had started Kate Spade in New York.

Starting with their first handbags mocked up on drawing paper, Kate and her husband Andy expanded their business from a small Manhattan apartment to stores and offices around the world.

Sources say they had broken up in the months before her death, while TMZ says he had moved out of the family home.

Although they had been separated for the last 10 months before the incident, Andy told The Times in an interview that no divorce was planned.

Frances’ Mother Died In Her Home In Manhattan

It was a domestic worker who found the remains of Frances’ mother at her home in Manhattan on Tuesday morning, 5 June 2018.

She had hanged herself, dying alone in her apartment. The New York-based businesswoman was 55 years old at the time. The assistant who found Spade’s body reportedly ran downstairs to inform the building manager, who rushed back to the apartment, cut the scarf around her neck, and attempted CPR.

The police soon arrived and immediately described the death as a suicide. Dermot Shea, Chief of Detectives of the NYPD, told reporters at the time that there was a letter from Francesca’s mother which confirmed the suicide theory. The police also said that Kate’s husband was in the apartment when his wife took her own life. At the same time, Frances was at school.

With her death, Kate Spade became the latest in a long list of designers who have died tragically and suddenly, including Alexander McQueen, Gianni Versacci, Maurizio Gucci, Manuel Motta, Christian Dior, and others.

Sometime later, on 11 July at 21:00 ET/PT, a short documentary The Last Hours of… was screened on REELZ. Kate Spade.

Before Dying Frances Beatrix Spade’s Mother Left Her A Note  

Before her death, Andy’s wife did leave some wise advice for her daughter.

Apparently, the fashion designer told his teenage daughter not to blame herself for her suicide. However, Andy Spade revealed that neither he nor any other family member had seen the deceased’s suicide note for themselves, but had read about it in media reports.

He expressed his concern that the private message to his daughter had been dispassionately circulated in the media. As to what the letter said, the police reported that in it Kate told her daughter to “ask Daddy”.

The letter allegedly contained the following statement,

‘Bea – I have always loved you. This is not your fault. Ask daddy!’

Why Did Frances Beatrix Spade’s Mother Kill Herself? 

As reported, before her tragic death in June 2018, Frances’ mother suffered from anxiety and depression.

However, she had not shown any signs of suicide, her husband Andy Spade reported. Andy revealed that his late wife had anxiety attacks during their relationship and 24-year marriage, and serious episodes of depression began about six years before her death.

“Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives,”

Frances’ father said.

He also said that they had contacted her the previous evening and confirmed that she sounded happy, but there was no indication or warning that she was about to take her own life.

Her sister Reta Saffo also told DailyMail that Spade may have had bipolar disorder, which worsened after she gained celebrity status.

How Her Mother Started A Multimillion-Dollar Company? 

Kate Spade worked in a clothing store during college. The Missouri-born clothing expert had no formal training before starting her own business. She worked for several years as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine before founding Kate Spade New York with her husband in 1993. First, they offered handbags.

Beatrice’s people gradually expanded from handbags to shoes, womenswear, accessories, and even stationery. After a while, their company grew into a full-fledged clothing and jewelry line.

By 2004, Kate and her husband had established international and domestic lines. However, in 2006 Spade and Andy sold the business to focus on their family, in particular their only daughter Frances.

In fact, Neiman Marcus acquired 56% of the company in 1999 and the remaining 44% in 2006. Explaining her hiatus, Ms. Spade said,

“Some people can make it work beautifully. Every woman makes the decision that’s right for her. But I felt like for me, this was the way to do it.”

She also said that the nine-year break had been good and that her daughter absolutely adored every moment. The Kansas City-born singer will return to her profession as soon as she realizes that Frances is turning 12 and doesn’t want to be around as much anymore.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2016, Kate talked about how, although she was returning to the fashion world, her daughter was still her priority. Of her decade-long absence, Noel Brosnahan said it was incredibly surprising, “like a gift. I really did.”

She also admitted that it was having her only child when she returned to work that made it even more joyful.

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Frances Is Related To Two Hollywood Actors

Frances Beatrice Spade is also the niece of actor and comedian David Spade. Her father, Andy Spade, is comedian David’s brother.

Beatrix is also the co-host of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Rachel Brosnahan’s cousin. Brosnahan was the niece of Frances’ mother Kate.

Who Inherited Kate Spade’s Fortune? 

Although her former company Kate Spade New York is worth billions today, Kate Spade’s net worth at the time of her death was reportedly around $150 million. Today, that figure has risen to just over $200 million.

And while the specific details of how and how much of that sum goes to Frances remain the preserve of the Spade family, it is quite understandable that Kate’s daughter will inherit a ridiculously large sum when she enters adulthood. In a sense, she already owns at least $100 million plus net worth.

Not to mention that she also has money coming in from Frances Valentine (launched in 2016), which her mother co-owns with Elisa Aaron.

It is worth remembering that in Gianni Versacci’s case, his niece Allegra Beck inherited 50% of his line. However, for this to happen, Becca’s mother, Donatella Versace, who is also Gianni’s sister, had to take over the company.

Quick Facts About Frances Beatrix Spade