‘There Is So Much of Her Left Behind.’ Rachel Brosnahan Shares What It Means to Be the Face of Her Aunt Kate Spade’s New Collection

For Rachel Brosnahan, her new fashion gig is deeply personal.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actor announced Wednesday that she is the star of the new spring campaign for Frances Valentine—a label that Brosnahan’s aunt, the late Kate Spade, started in 2016.

As the niece of the late designer, who died when she took her own life at the age of 55 last June, Brosnahan said that it seemed like “the most natural thing” for her to honor her aunt’s legacy. “When you lose someone you love very much, you spend a lot of time trying to think about how to keep their spirit alive…how they can live on for you, and that’s through memories, but also in Katy’s case, there is so much of her left behind,” she said during a Today Show interview Wednesday morning with Hoda Kotb.

“This was an opportunity to celebrate her life and her legacy and how much she meant not only to us but to so many other people, and the impact she’s had on the fashion industry. It was a really special experience,” Brosnahan added.

Kate Spade’s iconic fashion businesses had long been a family affair. Spade started Frances Valentine with her husband Andy in 2016, naming it after her daughter Frances Beatrix following a departure from the namesake flagship. Brosnahan’s grandmother and Spade’s mother, June, was a powerful influence on the accessories.

The vintage-inspired collection is full of brightly colorful bags and floral patterns available on the Frances Valentine company website.

As a playful touch, one of the square bags was even named “Midge” after Brosnahan’s character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.