Kate Spade Didn't Want to Be the Name and Face of Her Iconic Brand: ‘Don’t Expect Me to Be Kate Spade’

Two stylish young women from nan Midwest move to New York City aft college. With neither connections — nor overmuch rate — they motorboat a sleek and chic handbag line, simply called Kate Spade.

The line, created by Kate Spade (nee Brosnahan), her champion friend, Elyce Arons and Kate's hubby Andy Spade, and Pamela Bell, became a '90s arena and Kate’s sanction and look became synonymous pinch nan beloved brand. 

But arsenic Arons, 61, reveals successful her caller memoir We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship pinch Kate Spade, excerpted successful this week's PEOPLE, location was a nationalist and backstage broadside to Spade, who died by termination connected June 5, 2018, astatine property 55.

Once they came up pinch nan sanction for their company, Arons writes, “Her shyness made her cautious. ‘Don't expect maine to beryllium Kate Spade,’ she said erstwhile we first agreed connected nan name. And galore times aft that.”

The pressures accrued arsenic nan marque took off. After they created a fragrance successful 2002, Spade went connected nationalist promotional tour. One evening, writes Arons, she called and revealed she was having a difficult time: “She said ‘I cognize it’s not your responsibility but I consciousness abandoned by you. You guys sewage maine into this. You should beryllium doing this circuit pinch me.’”

Arons continues: “I did consciousness unspeakable that we had laid this weight connected Katy’s shoulders. It was nan first clip she had said anything. At 1 constituent I thought, How difficult tin it beryllium to chat and smile? I had nary thought because I had ne'er done it.”

“Maybe we didn’t recognize really overmuch of it was going to autumn connected her shoulders," Arons tells PEOPLE. "We tin each opportunity we'll beryllium opinionated location pinch you — but they don’t want us. They wanted Katy.”

“When I look backmost astatine her schedule, I recognize really overmuch unit location was for her,” she continues. “I don’t deliberation I realized it astatine nan time. We were each busy. But she not only had to do her job, but she had to look good. A different outfit each day. Her hairsbreadth had to beryllium done, She had to beryllium ‘on’ and opportunity thing clever, much clever than she did yesterday. I don’t deliberation I realized nan magnitude of unit astatine nan time. I learned much arsenic I wrote nan book.” 

For much connected Kate Spade and Elyce Arons, prime up nan latest rumor of PEOPLE, connected newsstands Friday, aliases subscribe here.

"She was highly delicate and felt things much profoundly than most,” Arons adds.

After they sold nan institution successful 2006, nan 2 women each spent clip pinch their families but decided to motorboat different company, Frances Valentine, successful 2016. They talked and laughed astir increasing aged together.

In private, however, Spade was struggling pinch worry and depression. 

Seven years aft her shocking death, nan heartache remains. Says Arons, “I cognize truthful galore group want to cognize why she did it and cipher will ever person nan reply to that.”

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To sync pinch nan book launch, Frances Valentine has designed a typical version Frances Valentine tote "with intent and heart" to support Hope for Depression.

Arons hopes her memoir astir their "best friendship" reminds group of really typical nan female known for her innate style, charming bouffant and colorful vintage finds (that stood retired against New York’s azygous of basal black) genuinely was. “I miss her each day," she says.

If you aliases personification you cognize is considering suicide, please interaction nan 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, matter "STRENGTH" to nan Crisis Text Line astatine 741741 aliases spell to 988lifeline.org.

We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship pinch Kate Spade is 1 waste June 17 and is now disposable for preorder, wherever books are sold.