Frances Valentine
Elyce Arons
Founder + CEO
Meet Elyce Arons
Elyce Arons is the founder and CEO of Frances Valentine, a New York-based luxury apparel and accessories company. Frances Valentine celebrates the power of personal style through clothes and accessories that boost your mood and tell a story.
A 35-year fashion veteran, Elyce knows a thing or two about business and style. She famously chased her passion for fashion all the way from Kansas to New York City alongside her best friend, Kate, and co-founded Kate Spade in 1993. Elyce shepherded the company from inception to international success, growing it into one of the most iconic brands in modern fashion history—and was instrumental in its 2006 sale to Neiman Marcus Group. In 2016, Elyce, Kate, and Andy Spade launched Frances Valentine as an evolution of their joyful style aesthetic; a brand with heart, soul, and a story to tell.
Elyce has been featured on Good Morning America and The Today Show, and in publications including WWD, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She lives in NYC with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not running a global brand, you’ll find her gardening, playing tennis, or perusing the colorful stalls of a vintage market.
Our Mission
We believe personal style is a mood-boosting, conversation-sparking, confidence-building celebration of a life well-lived.
It’s a timeless pursuit; a form of self-expression that only gets better with age because it’s evolving in real-time – just like us.
At Frances Valentine, we make clothes with heart, soul, and a story to tell – clothes that inspire you to tell yours. Clothes that make you smile every time you open your wardrobe. Clothes that make fashion feel fun again, that transcend trends and spark joy, year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation. We make clothes that create connections and friendships.
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 the journey—a continuation of the joy-sparking, vintage-inspired, legendary style for which founders are known and loved.
At its core, Frances Valentine conveys the spirit of Arons and Spade, two best college friends who dreamed big and had the moxie to make their mark on the world of fashion. In fact, the name itself is an ode to love, heritage, and deep connection—a celebration of lasting friendship, personal confidence, and heart-fluttering nostalgia.
What people are saying
“Critically acclaimed NYC-based lifestyle brand Frances Valentine will make its big debut in Texas this September in Houston’s River Oaks District. The brand offers a posh look and feel, with its brightly colored patterns and designs featuring timeless style and distinctive taste.”