# Elyce Arons

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**Elyce Arons** is an American entrepreneur, fashion executive, and co-founder of the brands [Kate Spade New York](/source/Kate_Spade_New_York) and Frances Valentine. She is currently chief executive officer (CEO) of Frances Valentine.[1]

## Early life

Arons was raised on a farm in Kansas.[2]

## Education

She attended [The University of Kansas](/source/The_University_of_Kansas) and later [Arizona State University](/source/Arizona_State_University), where she met future collaborator Kate Brosnahan (later Kate Spade). The two became close friends during college.[3]

## Career

After her studies, Arons worked in fashion marketing.[4] In 1993, she joined Kate and Andy Spade and Pamela Bell to launch the [Kate Spade New York](/source/Kate_Spade_New_York) handbag brand. The company later expanded into apparel, shoes and home goods.[5]

In 2006, the founders sold the company to the [Neiman Marcus Group](/source/Neiman_Marcus_Group).[6] In 2016, Arons co-founded Frances Valentine with the Spades.[7] Following Kate Spade's death in 2018, Arons became CEO of Frances Valentine.[8] In 2025, she published the memoir *We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade*. She was named 2025 Kansan of the Year by the Kansas Society of Washington, D.C.[9]

## Personal life

Arons is married to Andy Arons, co-founder of Gourmet Garage, a New York City based specialty grocery chain.[10] The couple lives in New York City and have three daughters.[11]

## References

1. Satran, Rory (2020-05-16). ["What Would Kate Spade Do? The Question Drives the Company She Left Behind"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-would-kate-spade-do-the-question-drives-the-company-she-left-behind-11559300448?st=HKhbu1&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink). *The Wall Street Journal*. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["Former KU student, fashion entrepreneur Elyce Arons returning to Lawrence campus Sept. 26 for fireside chat"](https://cms.ku.edu/news/article/former-ku-student-fashion-entrepreneur-elyce-arons-returning-to-lawrence-campus-sept-26-for-fireside-chat). *University of Kansas News*. University of Kansas. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["In Hot Pursuit of Those Elusive Bubbles"](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/nyregion/in-hot-pursuit-of-those-elusive-bubbles.html?unlocked_article_code=1.H1A.OITU.PWBRkVW8T4pD&smid=url-share). *The New York Times*. 2002-12-29. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["Elyce Arons honors Kate Spade's legacy in new memoir book"](https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article308408310.html). *The Kansas City Star*. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. Swanson, Carl (2018-08-24). ["After Kate Spade's Death, Will Frances Valentine Find Its Footing?"](https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/after-kate-spades-death-can-francis-valentine-find-its-footing.html). *The Cut*. New York Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. Mau, Dhani (2016-02-26). ["Frances Valentine Launches E-Commerce"](https://fashionista.com/2016/02/frances-valentine). *Fashionista*. Breaking Media. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. Harris, Meggen (2018-11-09). ["Kate Spade's Eye For Design Lives On With Frances Valentine"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/meggentaylor/2018/11/09/kate-spades-eye-for-design-lives-on-with-frances-valentine/). *Forbes*. Forbes. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. Swanson, Carl (2018-08-24). ["After Kate Spade's Death, Will Frances Valentine Find Its Footing?"](https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/after-kate-spades-death-can-francis-valentine-find-its-footing.html). *The Cut*. New York Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["Kate Spade co-founder, fashion entrepreneur Elyce Arons, named Kansan of the Year"](https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article311596386.html). *The Kansas City Star*. 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["2015 EDIBLE BUSINESS CONFERENCE – The Food Lab at Stony Brook Southampton"](https://thefoodlab.org/edible-business-conference/). *The Food Lab*. The Food Lab. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

1. ["We Might Just Make It After All – About the Author"](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/We-Might-Just-Make-It-After-All/Elyce-Arons/9781668069080). *Simon & Schuster*. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elyce Arons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elyce_Arons) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elyce_Arons?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.