Kate Spade

Jul 18, 2022

Kate Spade is an American fashion retailer founded in 1993 in New York City by Kate Spade and Andy Spade. The multinational clothing-retail company creates luxury fashion for women.

Kate Spade makes clothing, accessories, shoes, jewelry, and fragrances. The multinational luxury fashion holding company, Tapestry Inc., owns Kate Spade and many other brands such as Coach, Juicy Couture, and Stuart Weitzman.

Kate Spade operates more than 930 stores and has 16,400 employees in stores, factories, logistics, brands, and subsidiaries across over 70 countries where it does business.

Kate Spade cares about its impact on people, communities, and the planet. It crafts to last according to the highest quality standards and believes that better-made things create a better future for all.

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Sustainability Rating: 4/10

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Category: Clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, jewelry

For: Women

Type: Basics, denim, knitwear, loungewear, outerwear, boots, sneakers, sandals, flats, heels

Style: Chic

Quality: Medium

Price: $$

Sizes: 2XS-2XL, 0-14 (US), 2-16 (UK), 32-44 (EU), 4-18 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, jute, lyocell, modal, viscose, cupro, acetate, polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic, neoprene, polyurethane, rubber, leather, wool, silk, down

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: No

Recycling: Yes

Producing countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Myanmar, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vietnam

Certifications: LWG

Sustainability Practices

Kate Spade takes action to create a better world and make a difference for each other, the planet, and its communities. It wants to make the fashion industry more sustainable.

Kate Spade only uses a tiny proportion of organic materials such as organic cotton or recycled materials such as recycled polyester.

Most of its fabrics are natural without relevant certifications, such as regular cotton or linen, or synthetic petroleum-based fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic, and more.

Kate Spade also uses a tiny amount of semi-synthetic fibers or regenerated cellulosic fabrics such as lyocell, modal, cupro, acetate, and viscose.

Kate Spade doesn't publish a list of all its manufacturers and processing facilities on its corporate website, Tapestry Inc. It doesn't disclose how it chooses its network of suppliers.

The 2021 Fashion Transparency Index gave Kate Spade a score of only 22% based on how much the group discloses about its social and environmental policies, practices, and impacts.

Kate Spade manufactures its clothes in Turkey and many other East Asian countries where human rights and labor law violations still happen every day.

The American clothing retailer doesn't show any labor certification standard that would ensure good working conditions, decent living wages, health, safety, and other important rights for workers in its supply chain.

Kate Spade has a code of conduct that applies to all its suppliers and subcontractors based on the regulations set by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Kate Spade assesses compliance with its Code of Conduct by informal visits or third-party audits with or without notice. It has committed to providing people working in the factories access to empowerment programs.

Kate Spade doesn't use exotic animal skin or fur. But it uses animal hair and angora, leather, wool, silk, and down feathers to manufacture many of its products.

These animal-derived materials are cruel and unethical. They also harm the environment by producing greenhouse gases and waste. More sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

Kate Spade has committed to reducing the impact of water across the entire supply chain by 10% below 2018 levels by 2025. It reduced water consumption by 15.2% in 2021 at its corporate and retail locations in North America and now works across its supply chain.

Kate Spade plans to reduce its GHG emissions by 20% in its Scope 1 and 2 and 20% in scope 3 from freight shipping by 2025 compared to 2017 levels.

It will ensure 75% recycled content in packaging by 2025 and 95% traceability and mapping of raw materials to ensure a transparent and responsible supply chain by 2025.

Kate Spade aims for a 25% reduction in North American corporate and distribution center waste by 2025. It will procure 100% renewable energy in stores, offices, and fulfillment centers by 2025.