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Introducing Kate Spade to the UK! Recently this well known American entrepreneur, designer, and accessory queen opened the doors to showcase her products in a townhouse in London’s Covent Gardens. Recognised and sought after world-wide as a fashion leader, she has specially designed an enamel bracelet engraved with the words “London Calling” to announce the Kate Spade store will be “calling” on London permanently next year!

Since 1993, Kate has been wowing Americans with her popular products. When she could not find a handbag that suited her for everyday use, she decided to design her own – and voila! The collection started with handbags and has since spread to include shoes, baby and home, stationery, glasses, handbags and clothing, laptops cases, jewellery, beauty products, pyjamas and now a range of short storey books where each storey is based on the line “she is quick and curious and playful and strong”. Magazine and newspaper fashion editors quickly recognised this hallmark newcomer to the fashion scene and Kate Spade was established. With stars like Sienna Miller and Sarah Jessica-Parker seen out and about in her designs – what more encouragement does one need?

Her style is fun-loving, as well as useful and shows a hint of cultured elegance. With popular spots and stripes in her designs, she takes one back to the nostalgic 1960′s combined with modern day appeal. The design of her shops alone has been described as a “visual shorthand” of her brand, being replicas of any young, fashion-conscious girl’s apartment! Kate’s husband Andy Spade introduced a men’s range called Jack Spade to complement the Kate Spade collection, which has been equally successful. Kate has ships worldwide, including the Philippines, Japan, and Hong Kong.

In the course of her career, Kate has accumulated many awards, the first one being when she won “America’s New Fashion Talent in Accessories’ from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Over the years, she has spread her wings and moved into home accessories, including bedding and linen. She was honoured for her New Home Collection when she received three design awards in 2004. It seems as if everything she touched turned to gold!

In 1999 Kate sold out to a well known group who then sold to Liz Claiborne for a record $127 in 2007. To end on a controversial note, there are those who criticise her handbag design as being so simple that it would be easy for fake manufacturer’s to copy – simple maybe, but oh so useful! A spokesman from Kate Spade replied that all their authentic products have a label sewn into the product and another branded on the outside of the product, so look out for those.