What Kate Spade's Tyla campaign says about its Gen Z ambitions

Kate Spade New York has launched its autumn 2026 global campaign fronted by South African singer Tyla, her first outing since being named the label's global brand ambassador at the end of July. She is joined by ten social media creators and personalities, in a campaign the Tapestry-owned brand says extends its "Spark Something Beautiful" platform.

The campaign arrives two weeks before Jonathan Saunders takes up the post of executive creative director on August 26. Saunders, who joins from H&M-owned & Other Stories and has previously worked at Alexander McQueen, Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Tiffany & Co. and Pucci, will oversee product design and visual identity, reporting to chief executive officer and brand president Eva Erdmann.

Directed by Rupert Sanders, the campaign film stages a game of hide-and-seek across New York City and centres on the Duo Mini shoulder bag, available in seasonal colourways including Beet, Laurel Leaf and Pomegranate. The brand says the campaign will extend into social storytelling, creator collaborations and in-store and digital activations.

Line-up built on creators

The supporting cast is drawn from comedy, food, beauty and news rather than fashion: creator and podcast host Bretman Rock, named to the 2026 Time100 Creators list; Kareem Rahma, host of the New York subway interview series @SubwayTakes; meteorologist Nick Kosir; the creator collective 4inthe5; and chef and social media personality Gianluca Conte, known as QCP.

"We often think joy has to come from something extraordinary, when in reality it's usually present in moments we almost miss," Erdmann said in a statement. Two-time Grammy winner Tyla, whose second album A*Pop is referenced in the creative, said the campaign was "exciting and joyful" to make.

Tyla's signing follows the appointment of Allison Badea as chief marketing officer in July. Badea joined from L'Oréal, where she was global senior vice president of brand experience at Maybelline New York.

Younger shoppers are a group-wide priority at Tapestry, which said it acquired more than 2.4 million new customers globally in the third quarter, with Gen Z accounting for more than 35 percent of them. Coach has so far been the main beneficiary of that strategy, and the Tyla partnership applies a version of the same celebrity and creator playbook to Kate Spade.