Definitely unorthodox and certainly stylish, delicious candy-colored beads and delicate yet flavourful designs represent the dire obsession Charlie Beads founder and CEO Charlotte Hourston holds for uniqueness; in both her work and her life. Charlie Beads is a collective of bright pieces paired alongside big ideas, for cowboys and angels alike. Individually customized necklaces are constructed according to an online questionnaire, creating relationships of interdependence between customers and the brand. This method of personalization allows Char to sculpt pieces specifically in the way one wants to present who one is to the world. Then once it’s on your neck, a girl’s got more power than a gun.
Historically Charlotte has never been a big jewelry person. Simple gold chains or cheap costume jewelry were what her rotation consisted of; merely due to her dedication to boycott the dullness, smallness, and sameness department store cases and boutique windows consist of. Then Charlotte discovered the world of beads and sparks immediately flew. Charlie and beads have been symbiotic ever since. “I have this approach to projects where I essentially don’t have much of an approach at all; I dive right in headfirst”. The same went for the creation of Charlie Beads. “It began with just throwing a bunch of beads together and customizing accordingly to reflect what is now the Charlie Beads internal universe. I started out shopping for materials at Michaels and bigger box craft stores until I quickly realized the deep extent of the bead world. Whether I’m out in LA or home in Vancouver, I’ve discovered that there are tons and tons of local bead stores. I’m super specific at executing the agreed-upon vision between me and the customer for custom pieces, so I will stop at nothing to source the exact bead needed. I end up spending hours scouring through different stores and suppliers or scrolling through Etsy shops to find the perfect beads. As the brand has developed I’ve also gotten really into upcycling. Sourcing vintage beads and cutting apart old jewelry to utilize the materials has become a big part of my beading process.”
Incorporating vintage elements into pieces is just one of the many ways Charlie Beads has upgraded over the past year. “I’m trying to lean into having designs be a little less quirky and a little more elegant, using more sophisticated or classic beads. I’ve probably made over a hundred necklaces now and have come to develop my taste; I know what I like and what I don’t.” Recent favorites at Charlies’ Bead buffet have been all things vintage glass. “I’m infatuated with glass beads because I don’t understand, I’m like this cannot be glass, this is LAVA! But as much as I’m head over heels for the crazy glass beads, I always go back to baroque pearls; they’re my go-to and forever fav material to work with.”
It’s Charlotte’s rigor for style and her niche ability to interpret dreams and feelings into art that has allowed Charlie Beads to blow up over the last year. Days packed tight like sardine tins with emails, appointments, influencers, wholesale, photoshoots, and stylists. Schedules are a constantly shifting puzzle but two things for certain must take place daily. 1) The morning always starts with a fruit smoothie. 2) The day always ends back at Charlotte’s house; the Charlie Beads castle of creativity, where employees are Char’s princesses. Her three dedicated staff members are each beyond talented in their own right. Ray the future rockstar, Taylor the photographer and Mia designer and CEO of “AngelMoon” craft in seminal meditation to a soundtrack of James Blake and Crystal Castles. “The girls and I work with a lot of sensitivity to the energy in our space. We all know that we need to get along, trust each other, and operate in harmony to make any sort of progress. I’m beyond grateful to have this group of girls working for me. For most of them, their time at Charlie Beads is more of a side hustle, so I’m so happy to provide a creative space for them rather than working at the mall for “the man”.
The Charlie Beads experience has been one overflowing with twists, turns, ups, downs, and most of all curves; learning curves to be exact. “When I first started I was running the business completely solo. I would have 10 orders a week and be so psyched. There was a big turning point last year; I was in college, modeling, running the biz, going back and forth between Canada and LA, and finally concluded that I couldn’t do it all by myself. It finally clicked that it had been 6 months of Charlie Beads, it was all happening. So I started out hiring my best friend Riley, which I know was risky, but the payoff has been beyond belief. She’s my right hand, my confidant, and one of my biggest style inspirations.”
Charlotte’s approach to searching for inspiration is to do the exact opposite. “I don’t go out LOOKING for new inspiration, I prefer to just stumble across it in my personal life and I find that works for me. I was working on a music video with Remi Wolfe a while back. Together we made and styled headwear and body wraps made of beads, and wrapped a pair of Salomon’s in beads. I always think back on that experience as such a wake-up call in terms of illuminating creativity and discovering inspo. When I need to push my limits I always look to my good friend Joanie Del Santo. She’s a stylist and she was the one that gave me that last shove that I needed to break into this world of jewelry that, just over a year ago, I knew nothing about. In terms of chromaticity and design, I turn to Maryam Nassir Zadeh. Her color palettes can’t be beaten. Finally, I’m obsessed with the magazine “Homme Girls”. They’ve got the hot uniqueness of Chanel but while not diminishing feminine strength and muscle”.
“My big goal for the longest time has always been to have a storefront. Whether that be a pop-up or a permanent residence, I’m gonna make it happen in 2022. Charlie Beads is currently carried at 5 stores but I want to take this project under my wing and do it the Charlie way. Attainable prices, ethically made, with all my favorite designers and brands, and of course a section of curated vintage pieces. I could also see myself taking it almost ‘garage sale style’. I’m the type of person who walks the tight rope between collector and hoarder. Clothes, knick-knacks, beads, accessories, you name it. I could see myself selling the collection one day.”
Keep up with all things Charlie Beads on Instagram and CharlieBeads.com.
