“Tassion Minor was gearing up for her upcoming summer internship in New York City when she realized she didn’t have many office-ready outfits in her closet at home in New Orleans.

“I was being exposed to different professional opportunities, many of which required me to dress in business attire, but at the time my wardrobe was lacking in that,” Minor, who was 19 at the time, said. “And money was also tight.”

But Kate Spade helped her change that. Thanks to the fashion designer, she had a small collection of designer clothes — colorful dresses, blazers and a statement-making red purse — by the time she started her internship at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in New York. Spade, who committed suicide in her Manhattan apartment earlier this week, had donated to the PoweHERful foundation, a non-profit founded by journalist-turned-CEO Soledad O’Brienthat helps young women graduate from college through mentorship and financial assistance.”