Simone La-Rose on Editing the Modern Wardrobe: Inside Edited 1791

Founder, Edited 1791

Simone La-Rose is the founder of Edited 1791, a bespoke wardrobe curation service based in Downtown Dubai. Before launching the brand, she spent more than two decades working across some of London’s most influential fashion names, including Phoebe Philo, MATCHES Fashion, Victoria Beckham and Browns. Today, Edited 1791 works with clients to audit, detox and rebuild their wardrobes with intention, built on the belief that a truly refined wardrobe is created by editing with precision rather than buying more. In this interview, Simone talks about her career in luxury fashion, the story behind Edited 1791, and the philosophy that continues to shape it.

1. You have spent more than two decades working across some of London’s most influential fashion names, including Phoebe Philo, MATCHES Fashion, Victoria Beckham and Browns. What did those experiences teach you about luxury, personal style and the art of curation?

Simone La-Rose: My career has taught me so much, not just about fashion and clothes but about how I interact with people. It gave me the confidence to talk to anyone, which I did not realise was a real skill until I was older, and it taught me to understand a client’s issue and arrive at a solution within seconds, seeing every situation from a completely unique perspective. Good taste can’t be taught, it is instinctive. But understanding the true meaning of luxury is something I was taught from my early twenties, when I worked at Browns on South Molton Street. I am so grateful not just for working there but for everything I learned along the way. It felt like going to school every day and studying my favourite subject. The art of curation really came from visual merchandising the store. We carried around two hundred fashion brands, yet it was the selection we offered our clients that was itself a beautifully edited curation. Imagine a store carrying only the best of the best, one that cut through the noise and offered absolute clarity. That was Browns. I feel the word luxury has become diluted, much like the word chic. These words are thrown around without much substance behind them anymore. I remember a time when items were limited, which is what made them feel luxurious, rather than now when almost everything is mass produced. You can find the same designer handbag in every major city in the world, and that in itself is not really the problem. The real problem is that stores within close proximity of one another carry the very same luxury item, so the item is no longer luxury because it has become too accessible.

2. Before founding Edited 1791, you built an extensive career within the luxury fashion and editorial world. What ultimately motivated you to step away from that environment and build your own business?

Simone La-Rose: My fiance received a job offer in Dubai, so we relocated. I had a loose plan for what would happen once I moved, and then the war started a month later, so obviously that plan went straight out the window. It was impossible to find a job. My fiance was meeting a client for lunch and invited me along, because the client was bringing his wife. We started chatting about how difficult it had been for me to find work, and I explained my fashion background. She already knew exactly where I had worked because she was from London too. She looked at me and asked if I would come to her house and detox her wardrobe. Now, I love clothes, I always have. Organising someone’s wardrobe, putting styled looks together and suggesting pieces that complement what they already own is exciting to me, I just love it. So of course I agreed. The strange thing about that day was that when I got home, another woman I had never met but knew of asked me the exact same question within hours. That was my lightbulb moment. Why were two very sophisticated women in Dubai asking the same question on the same day within a matter of hours? So I began to brainstorm what a wardrobe curation service could look like. It is more considered than styling. I am solving problems within the home, within the most personal space a person owns, their wardrobe. Forty eight hours later, Edited 1791 was born. After a few clients I quickly realised that most people are only wearing thirty percent of their wardrobe. The remaining seventy percent is simply expensive storage. I see a person’s wardrobe as a kind of diary, the dress worn on a first date with a husband, the outfit worn the day you discovered you were pregnant, the pieces worn for milestone occasions. Sometimes these items hold history and sentimental value, and those should always be kept. But there are also items in the wardrobe that no longer serve any purpose, so why do people hold on to them? I realised the remaining seventy percent was creating decision fatigue. Imagine if you wore everything in your wardrobe. Your wardrobe now has an algorithm, every item speaking to another, decision fatigue no longer existing, every piece hanging with intention and purpose. Finally, a wardrobe with clarity.

3. What was the original idea or defining moment that led you to create Edited 1791, and what gap in the luxury fashion market did you feel needed to be addressed?

Simone La-Rose: The idea came directly from that same day, when two sophisticated women in Dubai, unconnected to each other, asked her to do the exact same thing within hours of one another. It confirmed a genuine gap in the market. Wardrobe curation, as she defines it, is more considered than styling. It solves a problem within the most personal space a person owns, their wardrobe, rather than simply adding more to it.

4. Edited 1791 is built around the belief that a truly refined wardrobe is created by editing with precision rather than simply buying more. Why do you believe subtraction has become such an important part of modern luxury and intentional living?

Simone La-Rose: It is true what they say, less is more. More time spent doing meaningful things rather than deciding what to wear. Time is precious, and true luxury is having the time to do what you choose to do. At Edited 1791 we want to give people their time back. An intentional wardrobe is one of the most valuable things a person can own. Imagine opening your wardrobe and every item makes sense, that is intentional living.

5. You describe Edited 1791 as a wardrobe curation service rather than a traditional styling service. What is the fundamental difference between the two, and what makes your approach different from conventional personal styling?

Simone La-Rose: We are a curation service. We edit from what you already have, meaning we remove the noise and tackle the unworn seventy percent of your wardrobe that is causing decision fatigue. A styling service tends to recreate a new look for you, which sounds wonderful, but it usually means adding more to your wardrobe rather than removing anything. Edited 1791 works to a process. We remove the noise first, create clarity, establish what is genuinely missing and only add items where necessary. This process is what gives a wardrobe its algorithm.

6. Your five stage process includes The First Draft, The Red Pen, The Final Edit, The Revised Edition and The Manuscript. How did you develop this editorial framework, and how does it change the way clients think about their wardrobes?

Simone La-Rose: The First Draft is the initial wardrobe audit, The Red Pen is the full detox, The Final Edit is where we build the capsule wardrobe, The Revised Edition is the seasonal refresh and The Manuscript is the full style profile and lookbook. Once a client moves through this process their wardrobe finally has a system. Decision fatigue no longer exists. Their wardrobe becomes an extension of their personality, rather than an ignored, unedited mess hiding behind closed doors.

7. Wardrobes can carry significant emotional value, from memories and milestones to aspirations and changes in identity. What have you learned about the psychology behind why people hold on to clothing they no longer wear or need?

Simone La-Rose: A person’s wardrobe is like their diary. What they wore when they got a new job, what they wore on a first date, what they wore when they got engaged. There is a lot of emotional connection to clothing that we vastly underestimate, starting with the colours we choose to own. Most of us own a great deal of grey and black, because it is neutral, professional and inoffensive. Yet those same people would rarely name grey or black as their favourite colour. Why is that? It comes down to lifestyle and what is expected of us within our careers and family dynamics. Grey and black are practical colours. Who wants to be described as a practical dresser, not me.

8. Concepts such as decision fatigue, enclothed cognition and the Diderot effect are increasingly discussed in relation to fashion and consumer behaviour. How do these psychological principles influence the way you approach wardrobe editing?

Simone La-Rose: This really comes down to stage one of the Edited 1791 process, The First Draft. We go through every item a client owns and help them understand whether it truly serves a purpose. Does it still deserve a place in a wardrobe belonging to who they are today?

9. Your philosophy has been strongly influenced by your time working alongside Joan Burstein, founder of Browns. What did you learn from her approach to fashion, curation and business, and how does that philosophy continue to influence Edited 1791 today?

Simone La-Rose: My time with Mrs B, as she is known throughout the fashion industry, will always be the most valuable of my career. Working closely with her and learning from her daily, I understand now, more than ever, how valuable that experience truly was. That kind of mentorship simply does not exist in the same way today. Mrs B always said, buy only what you love, edit tremendously, everything else is just noise.

10. Edited 1791 has deliberately chosen a faceless brand approach, without traditional founder led content, talking head videos or transformation reveals. Why was it important for you to take this direction in an industry increasingly driven by personal visibility and influencer culture?

Simone La-Rose: I think it is important to show that I am not the centre of the Edited 1791 universe, the client is. I understand it has become common for founders and CEOs to speak directly to camera, posting daily so their followers feel they know them. That is a smart and modern way of running a social media account in 2026, but I come from a time when privacy was considered the most luxurious thing anyone could possess, apart from a beautifully edited wardrobe, of course.

11. You relocated from London to Downtown Dubai to establish Edited 1791. What attracted you to Dubai, and how would you describe the evolution of the city’s luxury fashion consumer?

Simone La-Rose: My fiance received a job offer in Dubai, so we relocated. Honestly, if he had never received that offer we would still be in London. Having said that, relocating to Dubai was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I was very reluctant to move here, and now that I have, I feel incredibly lucky this is my life. I have met some of the most wonderful, kind, helpful and supportive people I have ever known. I do not think people need to feel tied to one city or country when we now have the ability to build a life almost anywhere in the world. People here also love fashion and creative spaces. Look at places like Alserkal Avenue, The Collective and Sandwash, along with CMPLX, which will launch soon and is very exciting. I do miss London and the buzz of the city, it is always shape shifting, always something new. But Dubai is growing at an extraordinary pace. Every other week there is a new opening, which makes it a genuinely exciting place to live.

12. Dubai has become a global hub for luxury, fashion and high net worth consumers. What opportunities do you see for more personalised, private and experience led luxury services in the region?

Simone La-Rose: The key word in that question is experience. Every brand is trying to create a different experience to capture its clients’ imagination. I think intimate fashion dinners, paired with a considered level of social media engagement to spread awareness, tend to work best. Quality over quantity, every time. A carefully considered audience and a focus on the few rather than the many tends to create a far better experience. The clients chosen for these unique experiences usually become the marketing themselves, telling friends and family about it afterwards. In a city like Dubai, word spreads fast.

13. Sustainability and conscious consumption are increasingly influencing the luxury sector. Can wardrobe editing genuinely help consumers move toward a more considered approach to fashion, and what role do quality, longevity and investment pieces play in that process?

Simone La-Rose: Absolutely. A well edited wardrobe means you no longer consume the way you once did. Your purchases become intentional because you are buying what you truly love. Another thing worth noting is that during The First Draft audit, clients often rediscover items they had completely forgotten they owned. It gives that piece a new life. It becomes like shopping your own wardrobe, styled in combinations you would never have thought of yourself. We look at your wardrobe with fresh eyes, helping you identify the true investment pieces and uncover its algorithm.

14. As Edited 1791 grows, what would you like the brand to become known for within Dubai’s luxury and fashion landscape? Are there new services, markets or ideas you hope to explore?

Simone La-Rose: I am genuinely glad you asked this. Very recently, one of my Edited 1791 clients, who is also a top influencer in Dubai, enjoyed the Edited 1791 experience so much that we ended up building a real rapport. She appreciated my mindset and work ethic and asked me to become her talent manager. So I see Edited 1791 evolving into a wider lifestyle management offering, moving beyond the wardrobe while staying true to the same principle of editing with intention. It feels like a natural extension of the same philosophy that built the brand, and it follows a credential we are proud of, appearing on Dubai Eye FM to discuss wardrobe psychology and the wardrobe detox process shortly after we launched.

15. Looking ahead, how do you see the future of personal luxury and wardrobe curation evolving over the next five to ten years, and what is your long term vision for Edited 1791?

Simone La-Rose: One word, technology. Smart technology already exists throughout the home, yet it has barely touched the wardrobe space. I am currently working with a company that will genuinely revolutionise this space, and I look forward to sharing more once they officially launch.

If you could change one thing about the way people think about their wardrobes, what would it be?

Simone La-Rose: I want people to wear one hundred percent of their wardrobe, not just the thirty percent on constant rotation. Stop ignoring your wardrobe. Most wardrobes currently function as a storage system. Edited 1791 removes the noise, so only the truth remains. I want to redefine your relationship with your wardrobe, so going forward your wardrobe has an algorithm