Kate Spade Names Allison Badea CMO After 14 Quarters of Sales Declines

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7.20.2026

Quick Facts

Kate Spade named Allison Badea as chief marketing officer, replacing interim CMO Kaisy Mae O’Reilly.
The brand has posted 14 consecutive quarters of sales declines, with net sales falling 10.3% to $1.20 billion in fiscal 2025.
Badea joins from Ulta Beauty, where she served as SVP of integrated marketing, and previously held senior roles at Nike and L’Oreal.

Kate Spade named Allison Badea as its new chief marketing officer on Friday, July 17, as the Tapestry-owned brand works to reverse years of declining revenue. Badea replaces Kaisy Mae O’Reilly, who held the role on an interim basis since early 2025.

Badea brings nearly two decades of experience in beauty and consumer marketing. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of integrated marketing at Ulta Beauty, overseeing brand strategy across advertising, media, loyalty, and customer engagement. Before Ulta, she held senior marketing roles at Nike and spent years at L’Oreal across brands including Maybelline, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kiehl’s, and Lancôme.

She will report to Eva Erdmann, CEO of Kate Spade New York, and will oversee brand marketing, creative services, media, public relations, social media, customer engagement, and consumer insights.

‘A brand that can understand consumers, be present in their lives, and spark joy in the everyday is powerful,’ Badea said in the announcement. ‘Kate Spade New York has always understood that joy isn’t just an indulgence, it’s essentially human.’

The hire comes as Kate Spade faces serious financial pressure. The brand has recorded 14 consecutive quarters of sales declines. Net sales fell 10.3%, or $137.3 million, to $1.20 billion in fiscal 2025. In the first half of fiscal 2026, sales dropped another 11.4% to $620.2 million, driven largely by a $82.1 million decline in direct-to-consumer revenue.

Tapestry acquired Kate Spade in 2017 for $2.4 billion. In fiscal year 2025, the company recorded $244.1 million in goodwill impairment charges and $610.7 million in brand intangible impairment charges related to Kate Spade. The brand posted a $20.7 million operating loss in its most recent quarter.

Erdmann, who joined Kate Spade from L’Oreal’s Urban Decay in 2024, has outlined a turnaround plan built on product simplification and sharper storytelling. The brand cut more than 30% of its handbag styles to concentrate resources on a smaller set of hero products. Its current campaign, ‘Spark Something Beautiful,’ centers on the Duo bag and is running across TikTok and Instagram.

‘Kate Spade is returning to its essence — joy, femininity, function, a touch of wit — and making it real for a new generation of women,’ Erdmann said. ‘Where we need to do better is conversion. The plan is to become top of mind, with the right products, the right experiences and the right storytelling.’

Badea is the second L’Oreal veteran now in a senior leadership role at Kate Spade, joining Erdmann in the executive ranks. Tapestry as a whole remains profitable, posting $1.92 billion in Q3 2026 net sales and $343.8 million in net income, with Coach generating roughly 80% of the parent company’s $7.0 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue.

Tapestry CEO Joanne Crevoiserat has acknowledged the road ahead. ‘While these actions will pressure revenue and profitability in fiscal 2026, they are essential to strengthening the brand’s foundation and unlocking sustainable, profitable growth,’ she said.