What does it take to build not just one iconic brand, but two?

In this episode of The Joy Club Podcast, Emily McCarthy travels to New York City to sit down with Elyce Arons, co-founder of Kate Spade and Frances Valentine, inside the Frances Valentine offices. Elyce shares how growing up on a Kansas farm with an artist mother and a houseful of fashion magazines shaped the entrepreneur she would become, and how a love of vintage shopping as a kid turned into a lifelong eye for timeless style.

They dive into what it really took to build Kate Spade into a household name, the friendship-first culture that shaped both companies, and what young entrepreneurs consistently misunderstand about building a lasting brand. Elyce also opens up about losing her best friend and Kate Spade co-founder, Katie Kate Spade, in 2018, the Love Katie collection born from that loss, and what writing her book, We Might Just Make It After All, taught her about grief, memory, and connection.

Emily and Elyce also get into what's next for Frances Valentine, including a Mary Tyler Moore-inspired collaboration, an upcoming collection with Blair Eadie, and a new Frances Valentine location opening this fall in Charleston, South Carolina. The conversation closes with Elyce’s advice for what every woman should remember when she gets dressed in the morning.

This is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, and building something meaningful even after everything changes.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Welcome to New York: meeting Elyce Arons at Frances Valentine
• 2:00 - A Kansas farm, an artist mother, and the roots of a fashion entrepreneur
• 19:00 - The Love Katie collection: honoring her best friend and business partner
• 33:00 - Behind the Mary Tyler Moore x Frances Valentine collaboration
• 38:00 - What Elyce hopes every woman remembers when she gets dressed

Mentioned in this episode:

• Frances Valentine
• Kate Spade
• We Might Just Make It After All by Elyce Arons
• Mary Tyler Moore x Frances Valentine collaboration
• Frances Valentine Charleston, South Carolina (King Street)
• Blair Eadie x Frances Valentine holiday collection

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Location - 2237 East Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404