Musings

As far back as March 2023, The Wed named Nortier as one of the British Bridal brands to watch. Just two months after shooting our first ‘official dresses’ it was wonderful to have the acknowledgement that our creative direction was the right one.

The 90s silhouettes and basque waist dresses we created were drawn from late 20th Century looks. Our shared passion for vintage finds and theatrical flourishes is a constant inspiration. We are so pleased that this look has blown up; in year one, we only sold to the earliest of early adopters and now Schiffer and Campbell have become firm favourites.

What's next for Nortier?

As a start-up brand, Nortier was, and is still, a passion project that is evolving around our day jobs. Happily, our day jobs as stylists and fitters in bridal wear, mean we are obsessed with bridal design, we predict and evolve future looks day in, day out.

The downside means that it is achingly slow, completely self-funded and Ben has a sketch book of dresses that are ready to dance off the page...

From a handful of brides in 2024, we have quadrupled our clients this year meaning we finally have the courage, and the incredible real brides, to launch our website.

We are building our label one dress, one bride at time, hand made in Hampshire.

May 2023 would have been my 30th wedding anniversary. I wore a dress by a niche British designer/dressmaker called Karen Ashton. It was a time when Liberty’s bridal department gave rail space to such artisanal gowns, with brands that had the capacity to produce in the 10s, not the 10,000s.

I remember the early 90's not just for my wedding; it was also when my Mother first took the reigns of Miss Bush, and I first went on a bridal buying trip.

Wildly creative, the British trade shows were full of energy, talent and unique signature pieces. Miss Bush stocked dresses made the length and breadth of the UK. The cut of a dress was a little more folksy, the decoration very arts & craft.

Personality and provenance were the brand pillars (although I am very certain no one used that phrase.) The other incredible aspect was the lightning-fast ability to channel the zeitgeist. The minute the word meringue was uttered for the first time in 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral, the Berkertex

Bride dress was ‘the meringue’ and while the word has haunted bridal designer and boutique owners alike, the zeitgeist delivered a more sophisticated offer. Lady Sarah Chatto’s 1994 Jasper Conran wedding dress was a very high-profile game-changing look.

The Nortier label echoes this era. Designer Ben Shallow and couturier Adrien Nortier share a passion for vintage glamour and theatricality. When they approached me to discuss their eponymous label I encouraged them, from the very beginning, to be true to these passions. Not to design for mass appeal but to show what was in their soul.

The 90s featured heavily in the Karl Lagerfeld themed Met Gala. 90s super models, the Chanel bride, Westwood and McQueen have been at the top of the Nortier mood boards.

The dresses feature 90s inspired detailing, dropped V waists, paniers and elements taken from my own vintage wedding dress. Ben has stripped back the 90s details to their bare bones and Adrien has delivered the simplicity to this look I know our clients crave.

Emma x