Handbag designer Charlotte Jones
Charlotte Jones, 24, founded her handbag range, Charlotte elizabeth, in 2014, which she runs with her sisters amy and emma. she is lives in london. GROWING up, I was healthy until, at 16, I started having heart problems: it was diagnosed as arrhythmia, which is when your heart goes into a different rhythm. It led to a number of other health conditions that left me housebound.
I couldn’t finish my GCSEs, or go to university. I was left behind at home, with everyone else going off and experiencing university or work. Often I’d sit in my bedroom watching my older sisters getting ready to go out, and enjoyed helping put their outfits together.
But one night something Amy said sparked an exciting idea. As she put on her make-up, she complained she could never find the perfect handbag: one that was luxurious and could be used for every outing, but not expensive.
It was an epiphany for me. After she left, I remember sitting in bed, brainstorming what this bag would look like — classic and versatile, Classic bags — inspired by Gran with a modern twist and, above all, sustainable. The opposite of fast fashion. Suddenly, I was reminded of a beautiful black-and-white photo I’d seen of my grandmother, Elizabeth, on the beach in Brighton in the Sixties. On her arm she carried a beautiful handle-top bag — it was the one that would inspire my first collection.
Later, my other sister, Emma, gave me a newspaper clipping on The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which helps young people launch businesses.
I won a £3,000 loan, which I used to buy the leather, before launching my first design, the Bloomsbury in 2016. I turned my bedroom into a studio. My parents helped me pack and send orders.
Then, last year, The Duchess of Sussex took this very handbag on an official trip. My email blew up — it was just huge. Now, we sell to 64 countries, including the U.S.
When I started my business I’d hit rock bottom, and when you’re in that dark place, you never see yourself getting out.
But, looking back, I’m glad things happened the way they did. Even though I am still battling poor health, it’s made me who I am. And I just want to spread this message of positivity and motivation to other people. It sounds cheesy — but that’s why I did it.
charlottelizabeth.com