Kate Spade has appointed Jonathan Saunders as its first executive creative director, marking a new chapter for the Tapestry-owned brand after years without a singular design leader. The move signals a strategic bet that a clear creative vision can reverse the brand’s recent market share drift.
For Kate Spade, the appointment is both an arrival and a beginning. The brand has the awareness, the distribution, and the parent-company support to regain its footing. What it has lacked is a voice. In Saunders, Tapestry is betting it has found one.
The timing matters. Kate Spade’s parent company Tapestry has been navigating a shifting competitive landscape. Coach and Stuart Weitzman have each undergone successful creative revivals in recent years, leaving Kate Spade as the group’s underperforming jewel. A strong creative director appointment is the first step toward closing that gap.
The appointment ends a period of creative ambiguity at Kate Spade. Since the departure of Nicola Glass in 2021, the brand has operated with a studio-led approach, producing collections that — while commercially sound — lacked the distinct point of view that defined its early 2000s ascent. Saunders is expected to restore that identity while modernising it for a customer who now shops across categories.
Saunders arrives with a résumé that bridges the gap between high fashion and accessible luxury. The Scottish designer has held top roles at Alexander McQueen, where he oversaw print and textile design, and at Calvin Klein, where he served as chief creative officer during the brand’s most recent repositioning attempt. His own eponymous label, which he ran for over a decade, was admired for its precise use of colour and graphic clarity — qualities that align naturally with Kate Spade’s DNA of playful sophistication.
