Andy and Kate Spade have announced that they are leaving Kate Spade, the bag label they started in 1993. The business grew into a huge business and sold last November to Liz Claiborne Inc. for a reported $124 million. When Liz Claiborne acquired the company they signed up the Spade for a six-month contract. With their time up, the Spades are out, ostensibly to spend more time with their young daughter. Both will remain members of the brand's board. The news comes hot on the heels of the recent news that Liz Claiborne is considering ditching a bunch of brands to focus on the Kate Spade and Juicy Couture brands. Does it make a difference to consumers if the person who founded the brand and who is the name behind it is gone from the business? We'll have to keep tabs on what happens to Kate Spade bags without Kate Spade.