Kate Spade & Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American fashion company that evolved from Liz Claiborne Inc. into the owner and operator of the Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade labels.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Kate Spade & Company was an American fashion company whose corporate history began with the founding of Liz Claiborne Inc. in Manhattan in 1976. Established by Liz Claiborne, Art Ortenberg, Leonard Boxer, and Jerome Chazen, the business became one of the prominent U.S. apparel companies of its era. It went public in 1981 and expanded through a combination of internally developed labels and acquisitions, eventually building a broad portfolio that included apparel, accessories, jewelry, fragrance, and other fashion categories. The company’s early identity was closely associated with Liz Claiborne, whose coordinated women’s workwear helped define an important segment of American department-store fashion. During the 1990s and 2000s, the company broadened its portfolio through acquisitions including Lucky Brand Jeans, Mexx, Juicy Couture, and Kate Spade New York. Under chairman and chief executive Paul Charron, the company became a diversified multi-brand fashion group with a substantial international and wholesale presence. William McComb succeeded Charron as chief executive in 2006, after which the company faced pressure from changing retail conditions and the 2008–2009 recession. During the early 2010s, management began dismantling the diversified portfolio. The Dana Buchman label was sold to Kohl’s in 2011, while trademark rights connected with the Liz Claiborne family of brands were transferred to JCPenney. In 2012, Liz Claiborne Inc. formally changed its name to Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc. and concentrated on Juicy Couture, Kate Spade New York, and Lucky Brand Jeans. Juicy Couture was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2013, followed later that year by the sale of Lucky Brand Jeans to Leonard Green & Partners. These transactions left Kate Spade as the company’s central and ultimately sole major brand business. Fifth & Pacific was renamed Kate Spade & Company in February 2014. Craig A. Leavitt became chief executive, succeeding William McComb, and the company operated principally around Kate Spade New York, the associated men’s label Jack Spade, and the Adelington Design Group private-label jewelry business. Kate Spade New York was positioned as a colorful, accessible luxury and lifestyle brand spanning handbags, small leather goods, accessories, apparel, jewelry, footwear, home products, and fragrance. Its visual identity emphasized optimistic color, graphic patterns, playful sophistication, and a strong connection with younger consumers. In 2017, Coach, Inc. agreed to acquire Kate Spade & Company for approximately $2.4 billion. The transaction was completed in July of that year, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of Coach. Coach subsequently changed its corporate name to Tapestry, Inc. The acquisition integrated Kate Spade into a multi-brand luxury group alongside Coach and later other labels. Craig A. Leavitt remained associated with the business through the transition and left the company after the acquisition. Deborah Lloyd, who had led creative direction at Kate Spade New York since 2007, retired in 2018, and Nichola Glass succeeded her as chief creative officer. Anna Bakst was appointed chief executive of the company in 2018 and departed at the end of 2019. The corporate entity is therefore best understood today as the former standalone company behind the Kate Spade business, operating within Tapestry rather than as an independent public fashion group.
History
Kate Spade & Company traces its corporate origin to Liz Claiborne Inc., founded in Manhattan in 1976 by Liz Claiborne, Art Ortenberg, Leonard Boxer, and Jerome Chazen. The company went public in 1981 and grew into a major American apparel and accessories group. Its original business was built around Liz Claiborne’s women’s clothing, particularly coordinated workwear suited to department-store retail. The company later expanded through additional labels and acquisitions, including Lucky Brand Jeans, Mexx, Juicy Couture, and Kate Spade New York. The company’s expansion produced a large multi-brand portfolio during the tenure of Paul Charron, who served as chairman and chief executive from 1996 to 2006. William McComb succeeded him as chief executive in 2006. The business subsequently faced a more difficult operating environment, including the effects of the 2008–2009 recession and structural changes in department-store retail. In 2009, the company entered an exclusive retail arrangement for the Liz Claiborne brand with JCPenney. It also sold Dana Buchman to Kohl’s in 2011 and transferred specified Liz Claiborne and Monet trademark rights to JCPenney. A major strategic retrenchment followed. In 2012, Liz Claiborne Inc. changed its name to Fifth & Pacific Companies and focused on Juicy Couture, Kate Spade New York, and Lucky Brand Jeans. Juicy Couture was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2013, and Lucky Brand Jeans was sold to Leonard Green & Partners later that year. With the other major labels divested, the company became centered on Kate Spade. It adopted the Kate Spade & Company name in February 2014, with Craig A. Leavitt as chief executive. The operating portfolio included Kate Spade New York, the men’s Jack Spade label, and the Adelington Design Group private-label jewelry business. Kate Spade New York developed from an accessories-led label into a broader lifestyle brand covering handbags, small leather goods, apparel, jewelry, footwear, fragrance, home, and related products. Its market identity relied on bright color, graphic pattern, wit, and polished but approachable American design. Coach acquired Kate Spade & Company in 2017 for approximately $2.4 billion, completing the transaction in July. The acquisition made Kate Spade a wholly owned subsidiary of Coach, which later adopted the name Tapestry, Inc. Craig A. Leavitt’s tenure ended around the acquisition. Deborah Lloyd, the brand’s president and chief creative officer since 2007, retired in 2018, with Nichola Glass taking over the creative role. Anna Bakst was appointed chief executive in 2018 and left at the end of 2019. Since the acquisition, Kate Spade has operated as a brand within Tapestry’s multi-brand fashion portfolio rather than as an independent public company.
- 2017
Acquisition by Coach
[1]Coach completes the acquisition of Kate Spade & Company, later placing it within Tapestry, Inc.
- 2014
Kate Spade & Company name adopted
[1]Fifth & Pacific Companies changes its name to Kate Spade & Company.
- 2013
Portfolio divestitures
[1]Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand Jeans are sold, leaving Kate Spade as the central business.
- 2012
Fifth & Pacific rebranding
[1]Liz Claiborne Inc. adopts the name Fifth & Pacific Companies and focuses on three principal labels.
- 2011
Dana Buchman sale
[1]The Dana Buchman brand is sold to Kohl’s.
- 2006
Kate Spade New York acquisition
[1]Kate Spade New York becomes part of Liz Claiborne Inc.’s brand portfolio.
- 2003
Juicy Couture acquisition
[1]The company acquires Juicy Couture, extending its presence in contemporary fashion.
- 2001
Mexx acquisition
[1]Liz Claiborne Inc. adds Mexx to its fashion brand portfolio.
- 1999
Lucky Brand Jeans acquisition
[1]The company acquires Lucky Brand Jeans as part of its portfolio expansion.
- 1981
Public listing
[1]Liz Claiborne Inc. becomes a publicly traded company.
Products and positioning
Accessible luxury and contemporary American fashion, centered on colorful, optimistic design and lifestyle-oriented accessories.
Handbags
Kate Spade New York handbags
The core product category of the Kate Spade business. The handbags are associated with colorful materials, graphic treatments, practical silhouettes, and a playful but polished American fashion aesthetic. The range expanded from the label’s original accessories focus into seasonal collections and broader lifestyle assortments.
Accessories
Kate Spade New York accessories
The accessories business includes small leather goods, wallets, jewelry, footwear, watches, and other fashion accessories. These products extend the brand’s visual language beyond handbags and provide lower-entry-price categories within its accessible-luxury positioning.
Women's apparel
Kate Spade New York apparel
Kate Spade New York developed apparel collections alongside its accessories business. The clothing line applies the brand’s use of optimistic color, pattern, feminine detailing, and contemporary American styling to seasonal ready-to-wear.
Men's fashion
Jack Spade
Jack Spade was the company’s men’s label, offering apparel, bags, wallets, and related accessories. It provided a masculine counterpart to Kate Spade New York while retaining an emphasis on functional design and distinctive graphic details.
Fragrance
Kate Spade fragrance
Fragrance formed part of the company’s broader lifestyle and licensing-oriented product scope, extending the Kate Spade identity into beauty and personal scent products.
Private-label jewelry
Adelington Design Group
Adelington Design Group operated as a private-label jewelry design and development business within the company’s portfolio, separate from the consumer-facing Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade labels.
Brand decisions
2017
Acquisition by CoachM&ABackground
Coach sought to strengthen its position in global luxury and reach younger consumers through the acquisition of Kate Spade.
Action taken
Coach acquired Kate Spade & Company in a transaction completed in July 2017.
Aftermath
Kate Spade became a wholly owned subsidiary, and Coach later changed its corporate name to Tapestry, Inc.
Acquisition value. $2.4 billion (2017 acquisition)
2013
Sale of Juicy CoutureM&ABackground
Fifth & Pacific continued simplifying its portfolio after adopting a more focused strategy.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell Juicy Couture to Authentic Brands Group.
Aftermath
The divestiture reduced the number of major operating labels and increased Kate Spade’s importance to the corporate group.
Transaction value. $195 million (2013 transaction)
2013
Sale of Lucky Brand JeansM&ABackground
The company pursued further portfolio consolidation after selling Juicy Couture.
Action taken
Fifth & Pacific sold Lucky Brand Jeans to Leonard Green & Partners.
Aftermath
Kate Spade became the company’s sole principal fashion label.
Transaction value. $225 million (2013 transaction)
2012
Concentration on three fashion labelsStrategyBackground
The company sought to reduce the complexity of its broad brand portfolio and concentrate resources on Juicy Couture, Kate Spade New York, and Lucky Brand Jeans.
Action taken
Liz Claiborne Inc. changed its corporate name to Fifth & Pacific Companies and repositioned the business around the three selected labels.
Aftermath
Subsequent sales of Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand Jeans left the company focused principally on Kate Spade.
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