Nicola Glass to Exit Kate Spade

The creative director is leaving the New York label after four years at the helm.

Nicola Glass is leaving Kate Spade in April per an announcement made Thursday by Tapestry Inc. A replacement has not yet been named.

Glass was the senior vice president of accessories design at Michael Kors before taking the helm at the New York label in November 2017. Glass succeeded Deborah Lloyd, who, over the course of her 10-year tenure, was largely responsible for taking the brand's quirky, colorful DNA and expanding it into more categories, such as ready-to-wear. When Glass arrived, she put a fresh spin on the label's vintage codes, blending modern wearability with the cheerfulness that Kate Spade is known for.

"We are grateful to Nicola for her contributions to Kate Spade," Liz Fraser, CEO and Brand President of Kate Spade, said in an official press statement. "Nicola helped us to take important steps forward, including rebuilding the core of our handbag assortment and enhancing our product quality, while creating iconic and proprietary elements that distinguish our brand. She has also established an incredibly talented design team who will continue to honor our brand's legacy and drive our business into the future."

The departure of Glass coincides with the announcement of the brand's new creative organizational structure, which will result in the formation of two new roles: SVP, Brand Concept and Strategy and Head of Product Design. Kristen Naiman who has served as SVP, Brand Creative at Kate Spade for the past seven years, will assume the role of SVP, Brand Concept and Strategy, effective April 1.

The brand has commenced a search for a Head of Product Design who will lead design across all categories, including handbags and accessories, ready-to-wear, jewelry, footwear and licensed categories.

"We have made significant progress, refocusing on our core collection and bringing newness to the assortment to reflect the brand's distinct DNA." Fraser said. "To build on this success, we recognized an opportunity to modernize our approach and processes to fuel innovation and better serve our customers. As a result, we've reimagined our creative structure, centered on collaboration, to position us to more fully deliver on our brand promise across every customer interaction with clarity and cohesion. I am incredibly optimistic for our future, and confident that these changes will further position us to win with our customer in product, innovation, digital, community, and storytelling."

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