We Interview Queen Of Coats Charlotte Simone

Taylor Swift, Sienna Miller and Florence Pugh are all fans. Her thrice-annual limited coat drops typically sell out in days. So why doesn’t she simply make more? Ahead of her Winter Drop 1 collection, the London designer tells us why she remains a firm believer in slow fashion.

Founded by Charlotte Simone Beecham in 2015 with the launch of her signature fluffy scarf, Charlotte Simone has built a cult following on colourful faux fur, vintage silhouettes and keep-forever statement outerwear. The secret? How impossible it is to get your hands on one. 

Where most labels respond to a sell-out – inevitable with celebrity fans like Alexa Chung and Madonna – by making more, Beecham does the opposite, hunting down dead stock fabrics (one tiger print, salvaged from a teddy-bear factory, yielded just 80 coats), working with London artisans where she can, and clearing samples and surplus through an annual Archive sale rather than sending them to landfill.

Ahead of her latest collection drop, we spoke to Charlotte about the building of her brand, seeing Taylor Swift in her design at the Super Bowl, and how motherhood has changed her. There’s also a sneak peek at her brand new design for AW26. 

Charlotte Simone, Olive, £385

Most fashion brands thrive on trends and newness, but you’ve built a business on three one-week Drops a year. Was the slow model there from the start?

No, it wasn’t. The brand began with one statement accessory, the scarf, and we grew through wholesale. Then Covid hit, and in a matter of weeks I lost almost all of our retailers. I had to rethink everything. It was sink or swim, and that’s when I pivoted to a Drop model.

At the time it felt like a crisis, but it was a blessing in disguise. Three Drops a year gives us nine months to design and develop each collection, so I can focus on making less but better, and deliver something seasonless. I really believe good things are worth waiting for, and I love the new rhythm of creating something considered.

Your pieces are worn by Taylor Swift, Madonna and Sienna Miller, and they sell out. Most brands would make more at that point. What stops you?

Part of why I moved to Drops was so I could focus on my own customer, not on what department stores were demanding. Our customers love knowing their coat wasn’t mass-produced, that it was designed in London with lots of love. Making less also means we don’t sit on surplus stock. If you want something fast, there’s plenty of fast fashion out there. We believe in less but better.

Charlotte Simone, Roxanna, £325 – made with dead stock teddy bear fabric

You studied in Paris and New York before coming home to build the brand in London. What did those cities teach you, and where does the Charlotte Simone woman belong?

My lightbulb moment came in Paris, in my first year of university. I saw a glamorous woman on a street corner in a huge statement scarf, and the idea for statement accessories was sparked then and there. I spent five years at NYU simmering on a business plan, and once I graduated, I took a $1,000 loan from my dad, told myself to give it 12 months, and just went for it.

Since coming home, I’ve been inspired by the energy and style of London’s women. I’m always designing for the city girl: she’s on the move, a go-getter, a head-turner.

Vintage silhouettes and nostalgia run through all your collections. What’s your favourite era, and what can the past teach us about longevity?

The 1960s, without question. It feels so effortless, with an effervescent energy. Most of the vintage pieces I treasure are coats from the Sixties and Seventies, and my very first coat, the Penny, was inspired by a swing coat in my grandma’s wardrobe.

That’s the lesson: those coats were made to last, so they’re still here and still being worn. On the production side, it’s about making fewer things with more care. For the customer, it’s about buying something you’ll wear season after season, and maybe pass on one day.

Charlotte Simone, Pandora, £575

Your coats all carry women’s names: Lulu, Donna, Maddie, Billie. Who are they?

I love that it makes each coat feel like a character rather than a product. Our customers talk about “their Lulu” or “their Donna” like an old friend, and that’s exactly how I want them to feel about a coat they’ll keep for years.

With such limited collections, how do you manage bringing back the favourites?

It’s a fine balance. Rather than straight restocks, signature silhouettes like Lulu, Olive and Donna come back reimagined in new shades and fabrics. Winter Drop 1 has a new take on a classic: meet Daisy. She’s a close friend of our signature Lulu silhouette, but this season with a velvety sheen and a hood for added drama.

Faux fur has a reputation problem: it’s often plastic and throwaway. How do you make something people keep for decades?

The quality of faux fur has come on leaps and bounds, but you’re right that much of it is still made to be thrown away. Our answer is to design pieces you’ll keep: timeless shapes, beautifully made, in small quantities. Where we can, we also use salvaged and surplus fabrics.

Has motherhood changed how you work?

My dedication and passion haven’t changed at all. I just juggle a lot more. I won’t pretend it’s easy. I want to be a present mother as well as a successful business owner and team leader, and doing both is extremely challenging. It takes sacrifice, and some days I struggle. I think every working woman can relate to that.

But the rewards are huge. One of the best moments to date was my little girl, Goldie, walking into my office and telling me she was proud of me. After pouring years of hard work into the brand, there’s nothing better than seeing it through her eyes.

Charlotte with her two children

Quick Fire Qs With Charlotte Simone

Best antique-market find? The Marché aux Puces in Paris. It’s an absolute wonderland you can get lost in.

Top tip for finding vintage gems? Go early, go often, feel the fabric, and don’t let smells put you off!

The oldest thing in your wardrobe? My grandma’s fur hat from the Sixties.

Most surreal moment seeing your coat on someone famous? Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl. Absolutely overwhelming.

One tip for shopping more slowly this winter? Make a wishlist and wait until you see it.

Perfect night in? A bubble bath, a face mask, delicious pyjamas and an episode of reality TV.

Perfect night out? An Italian restaurant with delicious carbs and candlelight. My favourite in London is La Petite Maison.

Charlotte Simone, Daisy, £395

Shop The Drop

Charlotte Simone’s Winter Drop 1 collection takes its cue from London’s antique markets and the idea of finding beauty in forgotten treasures: sculptural faux furs, shearling-inspired finishes and vintage-flavoured statement outerwear. It launches on 6 October at 8pm, for one week only, with prices from £200. Shop at charlottesimone.com.