Did Elyce Arons start Kate Pade? All about the late designer’s best friend and author as she shares memories of beloved friend

Seven years after the tragic death of her best friend, Kate Pade, fashion designer Elyce Arons penned down her thoughts on their 40-year-old friendship in her latest memoir, titled We Might Just Make It After All.

The book, which is slated to be released this month, captures their bond from the time they met in their freshman year in college till the time they became business partners. She reflected on the different side of Kate, which was rarely known to the world. Speaking of her book, she told The New York Times:

“People didn’t really know how funny and feisty she was, and how kind. If her image still resonates, it’s because I think people sense her authenticity.”

Elyce Arons was a key co-founder of the Kate Spade brand alongside Kate Spade, Andy Spade, and Pamela Bell. She grew up on a farm in Kansas and was the youngest of four daughters. Her mother was a design student and worked on costumes for the community. She met Kate when she went on to attend the University of Kansas.

How did they develop their friendship? Here is what you need to know.

How did Elyce Arons and Kate Spade become best friends, and how did their friendship evolve over the years?

According to a report in People magazine, Elyce Arons met Kate Spade for the very first time in August 1981 during their dorm move-in day at the University of Kansas. She was then known as Kate Brosnahan.

In her memoir, Arons describes Spade as the quintessence of Midwestern prepdom, clad in a pop-collar polo shirt, baggy khakis, and Weejuns loafers. She writes:

“Whenever I did anything that Katy thought was kind of ‘farmy,’ she would refer to me as Jethro.”

Arons wrote that she found her buttoned-up style a bit dull. Still, their bond grew deeper from being dorm mates to attending frat parties, shopping for second-hand clothes to glam careers in New York City.

While speaking to Fetti, Elyce Arons explained how they later met Andy Spade, Kate’s future husband. She said:

“We quickly became best friends and were sort of inseparable from that point on. We met Andy and David Spade along the way and moved to New York after graduation. We all worked in our own industries: Andy in advertising, Katy at Mademoiselle magazine, and I had several different jobs in the fashion industry in marketing.”

Elyce Arons recalled that in 1993, she and Spade called her up and shared their idea of starting a company together. She said:

“We certainly didn't know what we wanted to do. Andy said, “Well, how about handbags” because Katy really knows the accessories business. So, we started Kate Spade, an accessory company, out of their apartment.”

According to The New York Times, Kate Spade was sold to Neiman Marcus in 2006 after a successful run, and then to Liz Claiborne Inc. In 2016, they founded Frances Valentine, which is now run by Arons.

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After her best friend’s death, Arons is still learning to cope with grief. She told The New York Times that she feels angry that her best friend is no longer with her. She admitted that over the years, they had brought immense change to each other’s lives.

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