112 SEPTEMBER 2019
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
to have fun with it,” Glass says, noting she kept Kate’s use of
colour and attention to detail in mind when creating the
debut collection. “There was a purity to [the] design
approach that really appealed to me ... It’s her name still
on the door. I feel like her legacy absolutely will live on in
all the work that my team and I do.”
Combining past and present is a delicate balancing act she
had already performed in her previous accessories role at
Gucci, where she worked alongside Alessandro Michele and
Frida Giannini in Tom Ford’s final years at the helm. “With
someone like Tom Ford, who has such an amazing vision
and is also a really great stylist, I could see that it’s so
important to have such a clear vision,” she reflects.
Glassstudied jewellery design at Edinburgh Art College,
then attended Cordwainers at the London College of
Fashion, learning pattern-cutting and how to work with
leather. Her knowledge of jewellery has informed her
rework of bags at Kate Spade, which come in unexpectedly
versatile tones of olive, red and soft pink. “I really love
jewellery still and actually when I worked at Gucci I was
designing jewellery as well as handbags,” she says. “So
much of what defines an accessory brand, aside from the
shape and construction of a bag, are the hardware elements.”
To this end, she has reworked the boxy lines of the Spade
bags to be slightly softened, stripping out decoration for
a sole twist lock in the shape of a spade or, when done up
and turned 180 degrees, a heart. In subtle silver with single
or dual-toned enamel on saddle bags, they’re the rare
indulgence in a decorative element, and also a shape she
noted hadn’t been explored often. “I was just surprised
they hadn’t used more of it before.”
Her seemingly intuitive way with accessories might be
owing to the 13 years she spent at Michael Kors as senior
vice-president of accessories. She always liked the way
Kors accessorised his shows, making sure they meshed
with the overall collection message. “You could see that he
really appreciated [them] ... they weren’t just an
afterthought,” she says, now working to do the same.
The fact Kate Spade ready-to-wear – not solely bags – will
be a focus is another risk, but so far it is paying off. Tapestry
Inc. recently posted its third quarter 2019 results, with net
sales for Kate Spade totalling A$400 million as compared to
A$383 million in the corresponding period last year, a four
per cent increase. Glass doesn’t want to alienate existing
customers with the brand overhaul, but accepts it as
a necessity. “You have to recognise you can’t please
everyone,” she says, becoming circumspect. “It was about
attracting a new customer, and an [existing] customer who
just hadn’t found pieces in the more recent years they
wanted to buy.” She aims to appeal to women across age
groups: jewellery for graduation gifts for young girls; bags
for working mothers; and dresses for both. “It’s almost like
the third era of the brand,” she reflects. Glass may just have
it all wrapped up, no bow required. ■
“There was
a purity to
the desig n
approach
that really
appealed to
me. I feel like
K a t e ’s l e g a c y
will live on
in the work
my team
and I do” JAKE TERREYALL PRICES APPROXIMATE DETAILS AT VOGUE.COM.AU/WTBKate Spade creative
director Nicola Glass.