Bridal NEXT! Meet The Judges ~ Emma Harrowing, Fashion Journalist

As the first of our Norwich Bridal NEXT! Judges, fashion & lifestyle journalist and Norfolk fashionista Emma is always on the look out for local talent, and is a huge advocate of local Norfolk independent businesses. Her prominent position as key fashion writer for the largest regional publications The EDP and The Evening News allow her a great platform for championing fresh new talent. With her finger firmly on the pulse of upcoming trends, she is also Chairman of the annual Norwich Fashion Week- a fantastic event which unites both independent retail and national brands to showcase the very best of up and coming designers, inspirational style, skilled industry professionals, and a host of must-buys from around the region. All this and more mean she is perfectly qualified to judge our fabulous Bridal NEXT! designers, and peruse the fabulous talent which has made the cut.


Emma has given us the goss on what she'll be looking for at Bridal NEXT!, who she's loving right now on the design front and what she imagines for her own big day.


1) What do you envisage your dress would be like on your big day?

I haven't really thought about it! If I was to get married, I guess that it will be something simple in Ivory. I quite like the growing trend for dresses with cap sleeves, rather than to have a strapless dress. Ideally I'd like it to be designed by a Norwich designer.



2) What do you imagine will be the most important aspect of your wedding? And what do you think you will spend the most time planning?


Definately the ceremony itself. It's the most important part - knowing that you mean the promises you are making and that you will be best friends and soulmates forever. In terms of planning, I think the most time consuming part will be planning the party afterwards!


3) Who excites you most in the wedding industry or in wedding ideas right now?


Drayton designer Jane Kenning excites me with her simple take on the classic dress designs of fashion icons such as Marilyn Munroe and Audrey Hepburn. Her designs wowed Norwich Fashion Week this March and she never gives up on taking wedding design to new levels. Her Levi's corset was met with a bit of controversy from the jeans brand, and celeb Alesha Dixon never got the corset Jane designed and sent to her when she was on Strictly Come Dancing - but her drive to push the boundaries and put herself out there without a fear of failure is something to be admired.














Jane Kenning Designs


4) What will you be looking for at Bridal NEXT! ? 

Something original that takes risks and wedding design to the next level.

5) What are you working on right now? 

I'm writing a piece about mens fashion for next week's fashion pages in the Norwich Evening News, and editing a piece about hat designer Piers Atkinson who is originally from Wymondham for next week's fashion pages in the EDP. I'm also researching a future feature about bridal flowers.


6) What is on your desk today? 

A can of Diet Coke, lots of fashion press releases, old newspapers, some rubber bands, a few beauty samples and a tiny plastic bat - it's a bit of a mess!


Check out Emma on Twitter, where she often tweets live from fashion events in the region, as well as highlighting plenty of local talent on @NchFashionPaper and @NorwichFashion.