/ home / about kate / Kate Welsh studied Literature at Stanford University where she had the opportunity to spend part of her senior year studying in France with the Stanford-In-France program. After she graduated, she stayed another year traveling and working in Paris where she became fluent in French. Ms. Welsh was mesmerized by the effortless style and fashion sense, the "je ne sais quoi"of the French women and it was there, in the City of Lights, the seeds were sewn for her career in fashion design. Kate received her MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Since then, she has had a successful career working in New York City for several prestigious Wall Street firms as well as a start-up company. While she liked what she was doing, she started thinking about how she could branch out and become more entrepreneurial, knowing that her business experience would prove invaluable in launching her own company. After leaving the workforce, and taking what she thought would be only a year off, Kate spent part of the time living and traveling in Spain and Central America where she learned Spanish. She also took the time to tap into her creative muse and write a screenplay and a children's book. After returning to the States, she realized her true desire and decided to design handbags. The idea of a Nantucket vintage postcard handbag was born out of a bitter cold New York City winter's day. As she sat snowbound in her apartment, her longing for summer and all its warmth and carefree attitudes became overpowering; she unearthed her collection of vintage Island postcards. These postcards brought back a flood of memories of her Nantucket summers. Postcards, after all, provide visual means of conveying a visit, a moment, a set of emotions all wrapped in "place". The warm reaction Kate received when carrying her Nantucket bag convinced her that these postcard images would strike a cord with others, too. Expanding the line to include other images of cities - New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, of beaches - Miami Beach, Palm Beach, as well as international destinations - Paris, Italy, Cote d'Azur, to name a few, allows others to indulge in these charming and evocative vintage postcards; her bags offer a way for people to take their memories out in the world and share them with others. Kate chose the name of her label, Kate Ferrat, as it is emblematic of her line. Just after her parents were married, they lived in St. Jean Cap Ferrat in the south of France for several years, have cherished many memories of such a wonderful place and, yes, it was there that Kate was actually born to the name. Kate Ferrat symbolizes a woman who has a passion for travel and adventure, is unafraid to take risks, try new things and who embraces life full-on. You can purchase Kate Ferrat handbags online through Garnet Hill and Nordstrom.