5 minute read
Talent in Spades
Kate Spade’s new creative director, Nicola Glass, spent years whipping up accessories at Michael Kors and Gucci. Now, Glass is ready to reintroduce us to the iconic brand.
How have you been prepping for your inaugural Kate Spade collection?
There’s just been so much to build on with the brand. I was really excited to join the company because I’d long admired it, and I’ve always been inspired by the story of Kate founding the brand, and looking back at the heritage. As a designer, it always felt like there was this really strong design integrity, and use of color. I was also inspired by the old ad campaigns, and the spirit of the women in them—how confident they were. Also, I was inspired by the fact that they had a diverse range of customers as well. I looked back before I moved forward when I started working, and I worked with the team on ways to modernize certain elements.
What will be your unique stamp on the brand’s heritage? The brand’s always been known for being colorful. I saw this as an opportunity to really explore that in a new way, whether it’s mixing more unexpected ranges of colors, or giving more of a twist in the colors being used. Another area where the brand has always had a strong heritage is prints. I looked at taking that in a new direction. For example, there’s one floral in the line with a flower, and when you get up close you notice there are little lips hidden in the center. The attention to detail is important, whether that’s bringing new functionality to the handbags, or creating unexpected details. You bring the customer on this journey, almost like a sense of discovery.… It’s more of a journey for the customer to find the novelty within the product.
CARRY ON! New accessory designs for Kate Spade from Nicola Glass.
Are there any plans to bring back archival styles?
This past year before I joined, the brand reissued a new version of the original Sam bag, which was what Kate and Andy [Spade] launched with. I’ve also reinterpreted the bag in my own way, in a number of different materials. I was inspired by the story of how, right before a trade show, Kate cut the label from the inside of the bag and stitched it on the outside at the last minute. We have some new nylon bags with a new pink label that’s stitched on the outside of the bag. The use of wicker or straw was also something from the brand’s heritage. I really love the texture and the craftsmanship that a straw bag brings. We’ve worked on adding new straw bags to the assortment as well.
What has it been like working on an apparel collection?
I’ve really enjoyed it. Luckily, I’ve inherited a great team here, and when I joined, they all really embraced my vision. It’s a departure from where the brand has been in the ready-to-wear. So far it’s definitely been one of the highlights of being in this new role.
How would you describe Kate Spade’s legacy at the company?
I feel that although Kate hasn’t worked at the brand since 2007, her spirit has definitely lived on, and you can see that, not only through the product, but even in the amazing response with the love that people have of the brand on the sad news of her passing. I just feel that it’s still her name on the door, and everything we do is in the legacy of her name.
What was it like seeing such an outpouring of emotion about her passing?
I think we were all almost overwhelmed by how many people were talking about her. For me, it was about recognizing what a trailblazer she’d been, and what an example she set to other people, by being this female entrepreneur who—on her own, from her apartment— launched this accessory line. I also think it was incredibly touching to read not just how she’d inspired women, but from women who’d actually known her, talking about how she’d been a mentor to other young people in the fashion industry.
What was your earliest Kate Spade memory?
My background is quite diverse. I started in architecture, then went to art college to switch to do jewelry design, before that I started studying leather goods and handbag design. When I was making that transition—this was back in the ’90s— switching from doing jewelry design to handbag design, I remember reading magazine articles and actually cutting them out about Kate launching her brand. That was really my first memory of her. I found it inspiring to see someone launching this handbag line.
What made you want to change your college major from architecture to jewelry and leather goods?
Each of them have really informed what I do right
now. The jewelry background has been incredibly helpful, being a handbag designer, because what really often defines the handbag is the hardware detailing. I studied architecture briefly, and I’d always been interested in architecture, but I realized I would have been frustrated with the length of time it took to see a project completed. It could take years! Now, it’s much more fast-moving. Even when I started designing jewelry, I liked that the end result could happen sooner.
Before your 14-year stint at Michael Kors, you were at Gucci. What was that like?
It was amazing. I was working there the last few years of Tom Ford’s era, so it really was a special time to have been there. I feel really lucky to have had that experience. And also just to have that experience of working with all the amazing factories in Italy. At the time, I was the only non-Italian handbag designer on the team.
Back to your current gig: Where do you hope to take Kate Spade in the future, and how are you planning to expand?
We have strong brand awareness at the moment in North America and Japan, which would be where our strengths are. But there’s huge opportunity in China, throughout Asia, and Europe. At the moment, those are the markets where we will focus on expansion.
