Kate Spade walked away from her brand a decade ago, but what will happen to the fashion house now?

The Kate Spade brand could survive the death of its co-founder because the designer herself handed over the reins of the company a few years ago.

But Spade's suicide could compound the difficulties facing her new brand, Frances Valentine.

The woman, who died Tuesday morning, co-founded her namesake company 25 years ago, bringing a world of color and whimsy to a handbag market dominated by dark leather goods. But, in 1999, she sold a majority stake to Neiman Marcus and in 2007 she retired entirely. Since then, the brand has changed hands twice and is now owned by Tapestry, Coach's parent company, which bought it last year for $2.4 billion.

"Kate Spade, the brand that transcends Kate Spade the person, is a way of knowing that it is a truly successful brand," said William McComb, former CEO of Liz Claiborne (later renamed Fifth and Pacifict), owner of the Kate Spade line from 2006 to 2017. "Kate created something that was simple and elegant, modern and fun, and that continues to this day."

Brands that have suffered the death of their namesake designers had already left the company years before. Hubert de Givenchy, whose little black dresses were closely associated with Audrey Hepburn, died this year, but in 1995 he resigned from his fashion house, which has recently been sold to French luxury giant LVMH. Yves Saint Laurent also handed over the reins of his brand, selling it to another French luxury group, Kering.

When Alexander Moqueen died in 2010 at the age of 40, his fashion company was quick to appoint a successor: Sarah Burton, who had worked with McQueen for many years. The Metropolitan Museum of Art unveiled an exhibit commemorating McQueen, and the brand's loyal customers kept coming back.

"Let's be honest: all founders die," said Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a market research firm in New York. "But if your brand has great DNA, like Apple or Alexander McQueen, then there's already a great foundation to build on."

However, those founders who died while still in executive office did not fare as well. L'Wren Scott's clothing line, for example, was dissolved 18 months after her death, in 2014. Coco Chanel's death in 1971 caused a deep depression in the company for 12 years, until Karl Lagerfeld took control. in 1983.

The share price of Kate Spade's parent company, Tapestry, weakened throughout Tuesday but rebounded again during the week.

Spade's sensibility and penchant for bright, bold colors have continued to drive much of the brand's aesthetic over the years.

According to some, there is a possibility that, in the coming days, the price of original Kate Spade products, such as her Sam bag, will increase on resale sites such as Ebay, or that there will be a temporary increase in traffic on the company website.

"Does this create a huge media buzz that drives more people to visit Kate Spade's website? Who knows," said Brian Yarbrough, an analyst at Edward Jones. "But I don't think this really changes anything for Tapestry. If a product looks good, people are going to buy it anyway."

Since taking over Kate Spade last year, Tapestry has sought to cut back on flash sales and extensive promotions that some say have tarnished the brand's cache. But it's off to a rocky start: Last month, Kate Spade posted a 9 percent drop in own-store sales, sending Tapestry shares down more than 12 percent.

"Although Kate has not been affiliated with the brand for over a decade, she and her husband, as well as creative partner, Andy, were the founders of our beloved brand," Anna Bakst, CEO of Kate Spade New, said in a statement. York. "We're going to miss Kate so much," she remarked.

Nicola Glass, who previously worked for Michael Kors, took over as Creative Director earlier this year. Her predecessor, Deborah Lloyd, had overseen the design for more than 10 years and helped turn the handbag line into a lifestyle brand that included apparel, dinnerware and bedding.

But branding experts say Spade's death raises a number of questions for Frances Valentine. The line of handbags and shoes she co-founded in 2016, which are sold at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and DSW, had yet to match the success of her namesake brand and it was unclear who would take over.