Summary

Frances Valentine is a modern American lifestyle brand featuring apparel, handbags, shoes, and jewelry. FV offers products through an omnichannel approach, including e-commerce, pop-up stores, trunk shows, owned retail, and a few carefully selected retail partners. The company celebrates personal style creating joy-sparking, vintage-inspired modern pieces.

Background

Back in 2016, co-founders (and best friends) Elyce Arons and Kate Spade launched Frances Valentine, following their wildly successful foray into fashion with the one-and-only Kate Spade.  You can think of Frances Valentine as the next chapter in a journey - a continuation of the legendary style for which the founders are known and loved.  “We believe personal style is a mood-boosting, conversation-sparking, confidence-building celebration of a life well-lived”.

Why Cashmere Fund Invested:

Industry-leading and Passionate Founders:

Kate, Andy, and Elyce are some of the most prominent designers in fashion, having founded the iconic Kate Spade brand, which they sold to Neiman Marcus. Although the friends took a decade hiatus before starting Frances Valentine together, they have maintained their brand ethos, networks, and design philosophy in their product development and go-to-market strategy, leading to a strong revenue trajectory that has directly mimicked Kate Spade’s growth, adjusting for inflation. Following the loss of Kate in 2018, Elyce has built on the core team bringing in industry veteran, Margaret Spencer, as President and Chief Strategy Officer, demonstrating the company’s commitment to turn Frances Valentine into a major brand.

Owning a Piece of the Next Great American Brand:

The market is ripe for a fresh American brand and Frances Valentine has the traction and branding to capture that crown. The team has successfully designed a joyful differentiated style that is uniquely American and has cultivated a loyal and high-value customer base in the over-40 segment that has led to impressive growth from both new and retained customers.

Other Active Investors

Curate Capital, Break Trail Ventures, Angel investors