About The Designer

I’m Charlotte, the founder and designer of Charlotte Elizabeth. I started dreaming up handbags long before I launched the brand in 2016. I wanted to create something I couldn’t quite find: a bag with a beautiful, recognisable shape that you could carry through real life and still love years later. Charlotte Elizabeth began with a £3,000 loan and support from The Prince’s Trust, now The King’s Trust. That help gave me the chance to turn an idea into my first handbag, the Bloomsbury. I worked on every detail of its shape, from the top handle to the way it felt to carry. I had no idea then how far that first design would travel.

In 2018, Meghan Markle carried the Bloomsbury during a visit to Belfast. Seeing a bag I had designed out in the world like that was extraordinary. Later, Queen Camilla carried the Mayflower, and Zara Tindall was seen with one of our bags too. Those moments still feel surreal to me. What means just as much are the messages and photographs you’ve shared with me over the years. I’ve seen Charlotte Elizabeth bags carried to interviews, weddings and holidays, then brought out again for an ordinary Tuesday. You’ve told me which bags you’ve kept for years and which ones have become part of your daily routine. That connection has always meant the world to me.

After ten years of Charlotte Elizabeth, and a difficult pandemic for the business, I thought it was time to close its doors. Making that decision was incredibly hard. But once I shared the news, I heard from so many of you about what the brand and your bags meant to you. Your response reminded me just how loved Charlotte Elizabeth still is, and made me realise I wasn’t ready to stop designing for you. So this is a new chapter. Briar, Meadow and Fern each have their own character, but they share the things I care about most: beautiful shapes, thoughtful details and full-grain Italian leather. They’re designed in Britain to be carried through all the different days of your life.

Thank you for staying with me, for sharing your stories and for giving Charlotte Elizabeth a place in yours. I’m so happy to be here again.

Charlotte x