Hall of Fame Induction of Elyce Arons and Kate Spade

Iconic accessories brand designers Elyce Arons and the late Kate Spade will become the newest members of the alumni hall of fame at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Spade and Arons are the creative forces and co-founders behind the Kate Spade brand they launched in 1993.

Both earned bachelor’s degrees from ASU in 1986 and went on to develop the idea for the business along with Spade’s husband, Andy. The brand became known for clean lines, bold colors, playful wit and approachable luxury, while defining a new era of American fashion in the 1990s and 2000s.

Spade died in 2018 and will be posthumously inducted into the Cronkite School Alumni Hall of Fame along with Arons during a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Spade’s husband, Andy, will accept the award on her behalf. Following the ceremony, there will be a special Q&A panel discussion between Arons and Cronkite School students in the First Amendment Forum, followed by a reception in the first floor lobby Hall of Honor.