Introducing MOMNT: Charlie Coe on rugby, reflection, and building a brand  

By Jennifer Bailey

Charlie Coe is used to living at pace. For most of his time at Durham University, life moved quickly from one commitment to the next. Deadlines blurred into training sessions, weekends filled with fixtures, and there was always something demanding attention. Pausing to reflect was rarely part of the routine. 

Now 23, the recent graduate and former vice captain of Durham University RFC looks back on those years with a different perspective. The constant movement that once felt normal is now something he understands more critically, especially after experiencing the pressures that can sit beneath the surface of university life. Those reflections have become the foundation for MOMNT, a new clothing brand he will launch this month. 

At its simplest, MOMNT produces activewear designed for everyday routine rather than just sport. It is clothing intended to fit into ordinary tasks, whether that means heading to training, walking through town, or taking time out during a busy day. Behind that practical idea also sits something more personal. The brand is shaped by Charlie’s own experience of navigating mental health struggles while trying to keep up with the pace around him. 

During his time at Durham, he studied Geography, before completing a master’s in business management, played rugby across all four years, captained the Sevens team, and sat on the Team Durham sports panel. On paper, it was a full university experience. In reality, he describes a constant pressure to keep performing across every area of life at once. 

Reflections on university life have become the foundation for MOMNT

Like many students, he found himself balancing academic expectations, sport, social life and future plans without allowing space to step back. Over time, that pace began to take a toll. He has since spoken openly about struggling with anxiety and overthinking during those years, something intensified by the wider culture of constant productivity. 

The most difficult period came when he sadly lost two friends to suicide while at university. Those experiences had a lasting impact on how he understood mental health and the pressures that can exist within high achieving environments. They also changed how he viewed the importance of checking in with others and creating spaces where people can speak openly. 

Rugby played a complicated role during that time. The sport demanded commitment and discipline, yet it also provided one of the few places where the intensity of university softened. Charity work was central to the club’s culture. 

“Movember was a big thing for us,” he says. “It’s in the club’s DNA to have that charitable element.” 

By his third year, he was helping organise fundraising activities that brought teammates together away from competition. The following year included informal coffee mornings hosted at his student house, where bacon rolls were sold to raise money. 

“The fundraising mattered, but it was also about coming together and having a chat,” he explains. 

Those moments stood out because they created rare opportunities to slow down. They allowed teammates to step away from performance pressures and talk openly, something he believes is especially important in demanding environments. 

Charlie is aware that rugby at Durham still carries stereotypes linked to excess or deviance, yet he stresses how much they overlook the club’s overall emphasis on charity and support. 

“We definitely did get labelled,” he says. “Things have come on leaps and bounds, but it is still there. At our core, it’s about doing good.” 

For him, sport also became one of the few ways to manage pressure. Training offered structure and a mental break from constant demands. It was often the only time his focus stayed fully in the present. 

These experiences shaped the thinking behind MOMNT. The brand is not built around elite performance. Instead, it focuses on movement as something every day and accessible, a way of creating space within busy routines rather than adding further pressure. 

Charlie described his target audience broadly: “It is not aimed at a particular type of athlete” he jokes “it is designed for everyone, from a big rugby lad to a seventy-five-year-old grandmother. The aim is simply to create clothing that reminds people to be present.” 

The idea developed during his final months at university while balancing dissertation deadlines with the uncertainty about life after graduation. In September 2025, he registered the company before travelling across Australia, where the change of pace and “Aussie lifestyle” allowed him to reflect on how quickly those years had passed. 

“MOMNT is designed for everyone, from a big rugby lad to a seventy-five-year old grandmother”

When he returned, he began building MOMNT from scratch. Manufacturing and supply chains were unfamiliar territory, and progress involved a steep learning curve. However, support from family played a key role as the project moved from concept to reality. 

As the brand grows, Charlie hopes to draw on the same sense of community that shaped his university experience. He plans to work with fellow Durham rugby alumni and friends, including the Pepper brothers, to build awareness around the brand’s philosophy. 

MOMNT also carries a charitable commitment. One percent of all sales will initially be donated to Mind through Work for Good, a decision closely linked to his own experiences of loss. As the company expands, he hopes that contribution will increase. 

While it is suggested that MOMNT could become Durham’s next widely recognised student clothing brand, Charlie remains humble. For him, the focus remains on building something meaningful rather than chasing popularity. 

Investing in a piece of MOMNT clothing will represent a shift in perspective. It will reflect the realisation that life rarely slows down on its own, and that creating space to pause is something that we must all aim to do.

Image by Charlie Coe