Kate Spade’s Inspirational Advice to Her Daughter

A quote from Kate Spade has resurfaced in the wake of her death on Tuesday.

As Metro points out, the late fashion designer opened up about advice she had for her daughter, Frances Beatrix Spade, in a 2016 interview. She was discussing the beginning of her new brand Frances Valentine and harked back to advice she had given her daughter, who was 11 at the time.

“Fingers crossed, it all works. I told my daughter, I want you to know that you should at least try,” Spade told Serendipity in their 2016 cover story. But you have to put everything into it. It’s not about hiring a bunch of people and having everyone else do the work. You have to be on top of it yourself, and completely invested. If it doesn’t work, will it be a sting? Yes, but you know you tried.”

Spade took her own life for unknown reasons in her New York City apartment on Tuesday.

Police say she left a suicide note at the scene. Anonymous police sources have spoken to news outlets and said the note contained a message to Spade’s daughter, who is now 13 years old.

The alleged message reportedly told Frances not to take the blame for her mother’s death. No other details about the message have surfaced.

Elsewhere in the Serendipity interview, Spade also discussed her decision to leave her position at Kate Spade New York, the fashion giant she founded.

“After my daughter was born, I would have meetings up in my living room. People would be lined up to see me and I’d be like, ‘I’ll be right back, it’s time for her to eat!’” 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 added, “I’d reached that point, where it had nothing to do with the design, it was a conflict of time. My daughter was at that age where I thought, ‘I cannot miss out on this.’ She’s starting to understand if you’re there or not, and I thought: ‘I want to be there.’”

On the topic of Frances’ future with the Frances Valentine brand, which was co-founded by her husband Andy Spade, Spade has tried to let the teenager know that she does not have to follow in her footsteps.

“I told her the company is named after her grandparents, so she has no feeling that it’s her thing,” Spade said. “If this doesn’t work, I don’t want her to feel ashamed. And if it does work, I don’t want her to get an ego about it!”

Photo Credit: Frances Valentine

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).