[MAGAZINE] CHARLOTTE SIMONE

Viper meets the new queen of fur

Women, hip-hop and (faux) fur go together like peanut butter and jelly – fact. Meet Charlotte Beecham, the London based designer who’s got us completely re-thinking the fluffy stuff. Charlotte singlehandedly upgraded the scarf’s status as a function-only accessory when she established Charlotte Simone in 2011. The label solely specialises in the craft of the most sumptuous real and faux-fur Popsicle-scarves you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Charlotte’s focus on high quality fabrics means it’s often hard to identify which of the pink and blue dipped tails, or monochrome striped stoles, are in fact faux and which are the real deal. What’s immediately apparent is that all of Charlotte’s statement scarves are conversation starters. Rita’s been draping herself in them and Alexa and Olivia have been casually slinging them over one shoulder. We caught up with the woman herself to chat candy-floss-furs, Lena Dunham and The Big Apple.

How did the idea of designing colourful fur scarves come about?

Charlotte Simone was born from sitting in a cafe in Paris, wiping croissant crumbs off my T-shirt, whilst wistfully staring at the impossibly elegant and beautiful ladies walking by. I felt there was a gap in the market for a statement scarf. Not just any scarf, but a scarf that could be more than a practical item; something that could be a statement of style. Just as women chose to invest in shoes and handbags, the aim with Charlotte Simone was to create fantasy fluffy numbers that people would want to invest in.

How did you get into designing your Popsicles?

I was studying at NYU in New York at the time. As a city, NYC pushes you to get a groove on. The garment district was where I first found the fur fabrics. I then discovered a seamstress who helped me build my vision.

The Popsicle is your signature piece. What colours have been introduced to the collection for autumn?

I can’t specify exactly what colours have gone into production, but I can promise that the palette is highly varied. You’ll have to wait and see!

What’s your favourite Popsicle colour-way?

My favourite to date is a candy-floss pink Popsicle that is set to launch this winter. It will burn your eyes with cuteness.

You offer faux furs as well as real furs. Was it a fun process looking for a faux fur that feels as soft as real fur?

I wish I could say it was fun, but the process was laborious! I am pleased to say that the textured quality of my faux-fur parallels the feel of the real fur beautifully. It was a hard task, but now I’ve found fabrics that I adore, I’m really looking forward to developing this field further.

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This is an extract from the Autumn/Winter14 Issue of Viper Magazine. Read more from the magazine here. Buy physical and digital copies here.
Photography by Mitzi Lorenz
Styling by Violetta Kassapi
Words by Nellie Eden
@csimone_
charlottesimone.com