Kate Spade's death shocked and pained a countless number of people. And while those closest to her are without a doubt feeling it the hardest, the pain of those who knew Spade solely through her brand is a powerful testament of just how positive and influential of an impact she had.
One mom laid it out in an open letter posted to Facebook, which is now going viral.
An open letter about Kate Spade
Heather Delaney said she could hardly sleep from the anticipation of a big day she was planning to share with her little girl fours years ago on a family vacation. She was taking her then-five-year-old daughter to Kate Spade in the morning for the first time.
She had it all planned out: Elle would get a kid-sized bag and she, the mama, would get a bigger version. They'd be twins. And it would be adorable, obviously.
But Elle didn't want a bag.
She wanted black, fuzzy ear muffs. Which is clearly not the most common purchase of Kate Spade customers. In fact, it was actually the first time the store had sold a pair.
Delaney was confused and a little sad her dream of twinning with her mini-me didn't work, but the overall experience was still so happy:
"She (Elle) was smiling. The sales lady was smiling. And even I, jaded by the loss of a new purse, was smiling," Delaney wrote.
Here comes the heartbreak
Delaney said she wished Spade could've experienced every happy moment her stores fostered, from the woman who found "the most loveliest brooch for their wedding day" to the one who found "the most exquisite pair of earrings (for) ... graduation."
"Kate, I’m sorry that we could not bottle that up for you. I’m sorry that we could not bottle up every grin, every laughter, every happy heart that walked through your stores,"
She apologized for society being too scared to talk about mental-health issues:
"I’m sorry that some don’t understand it. And I’m sorry that the world still doesn’t always allow us to talk openly about it, without fear of prejudice."
And finally, she said she felt guilty:
"I’m sorry, Kate, that we could not gift you the happiness that was felt in this six-year-old's body that day," she said. "I kinda feel guilty now for feeling so much happiness that day, wondering now if you were perhaps sad that day."
She said Spade was a "powerhouse" businesswoman, wife and mother. And that she hoped she was in a peaceful, happier place.