Kate Brosnahan Spade, an accessories editor at Mademoiselle, was frustrated she couldn’t find the fashionable, utilitarian handbag she’d been craving for years. She set out to design the perfect one. 
Working from her apartment, Kate made samples out of construction paper. She combined sleek shapes and colorful palettes in an entirely new way. Six versions of a bag called Sam debuted in 1993 to rave reviews—sparking an accessories revolution