The secret of designing the ‘it girl’ winter coat that has taken the fashion world by storm

Last week, something beyond belief happened to Charlotte Simone. “It’s all a bit of a blur,” the 35-year-old fashion designer recalls down the line from her home in Primrose Hill. “We were in the office and then we saw the paparazzi photos online. It was like a Mexican wave after that, with TikTok videos and everything. It was major.” So major, in fact, that the brand’s Instagram account crashed. “It was definitely a standout moment.” Featuring one of Simone’s newest designs, the photos showcased a long black faux leather coat with shearling trims. The reason for the brouhaha? The woman wearing it was Madonna.

Launched in 2015, Simone’s eponymous nostalgia-fuelled outerwear brand has acquired cult status among A-list stars, models, it girls, and everyone who wants to dress like them. To date, that includes Dua Lipa, Lena Dunham, Florence Pugh, Emily Ratajkowski, Katy Perry, Suki Waterhouse and Rosalia. And now Madonna. All have proudly sported Simone’s fluffy, flamboyant creations, propelling her brand into the spotlight.

There’s the signature Penny, worn last winter by Taylor Swift, an Afghan style coat that is straight out of Almost Famous with its Mongolian faux fur trim. There are frothy bubblegum pink cropped styles with lambswool trims. There are shearing gilets in an array of camel shades. And there’s a lot – I mean a lot – of leopard print.

“We try to design timeless styles that elevate an everyday outfit and allow heads to turn,” the designer explains. “The idea is that a Charlotte Simone instantly lifts any outfit with effortless ease. My hope is that every girl should feel that it-girl energy in a Charlotte Simone.”

Sadly, every girl can’t – around 70 per cent of the collection sells out on the evening it’s released. Diehard fans set their alarms as soon as the twice-yearly “drops” are announced, quickly scanning the website and purchasing what they like while they still can.

Since the pandemic, Simone has operated according to a unique, limited-edition business model, which means all styles are produced in limited quantities and available to buy for one week only. Whatever’s left over is sold alongside development samples later on in an annual archive sale.

“We always worked to traditional timelines and then Covid hit and we had to make a change in order to survive,” she explains. “I was petrified, I would never have dared to be so bold had I not been forced to.” It is bold – few luxury designers follow such a stringent manufacturing process.

In today’s increasingly precarious fashion industry, to do so requires an inordinate amount of confidence in your own customer. Thankfully, Simone has that in droves – and it’s not hard to see why.

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Working this way has been surprisingly liberating for Simone, as well as enabling her to produce in a more environmentally friendly manner; many of the coats are made from deadstock fabrics sourced from vintage fairs and even teddy bear factories. And, thanks to the limited production line, nothing goes to waste.

“I’m not governed by department store deadlines or minimum order quantities,” she adds. “The idea of taking time and consideration to really build a collection that feels special and considered was something that felt so exciting when I was previously on this hamster wheel of having to churn out four collections a year and check all these boxes. Then we decided nobody needs that much; you just need one or two collections. Because something of quality should be worn again and again.”

The new model also allows for greater creative freedom; “I can daydream and design with any fabric; shade and silhouette we like.” Prices typically hover around the £350 mark, though they go up to £450, with most of Simone’s client base sitting somewhere within the 18 to 45 age bracket. Almost all of their sales come from Instagram, where Simone currently boasts a cool 232,000 followers. “We really got in at the right time,” she says. “Instagram was way less saturated then compared to how it is now.”

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Simone founded the brand in 2015 immediately after graduating from NYU, where she studied English and had originally planned to be a journalist. “I wanted your job,” she laughs. But a few fashion internships with American Vogue and Charlotte Ronson eventually drew her to design. “I fumbled into it,” she says. “My best friend was studying at Parsons so she helped me create my first patterns and get them cut.”

At first, the brand began with accessories: faux fur scarves and baseball hats with fluffy bobbles on either side. But things soon developed to outerwear, with Simone primarily producing coats and jackets.

Despite its worldwide success and celebrity following, the Charlotte Simone team consists of just four people. “I wear many hats,” Simone says, explaining she works across design, marketing, production, manufacturing and shipment. Then there’s Danielle, who manages the “behind the scenes day-to-day” side of things, as well as a studio assistant and a fourth team member who assists with design on a freelance basis. If that sounds overwhelming, add a baby daughter into the mix; Simone started designing the latest drop when she was five weeks post-partum.

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“To say that it felt impossible at the time is an understatement,” she says. Juggling motherhood and the business has, understandably, made things a bit trickier. “When you leave the office you still never really leave, so I come home and I’m still checking emails and taking calls but I obviously still want to spend time with my family. So it’s just about finding balance…” she pauses. “But then you realise it’s impossible to find balance. I feel lucky to love what I do.” Simone lives near where she grew up in Hampstead alongside her husband, property developer Dean Jaraj, and their daughter, Goldie.

As for the future of the brand, there are no plans to showcase at London Fashion Week anytime soon, although Simone did host a presentation at the biannual trade event when she first launched. All of her energy, she tells me, has gone into the new drop model, which seems to work seamlessly without the need for the PR push a LFW show could offer.

There are still big goals to hit, though. “I’d love to get Celine Dion in one of my coats,” she gushes. “I’ve seen her in concert like four times. I sleep in her merch. She’s mega; great music, great personality, style icon.” Celine, we’ll be waiting.

The latest Charlotte Simone collection launches at 8pm on Wednesday 27 Nov