Meet Emma Jordan | Founder, Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Jordan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
For years I had been building brands for other people, working fourteen hour days, and neglecting my family until something clicked and I just said no-more, it’s time to rest and start again, working for myself.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I love connecting people and telling stories — whether it’s through a gathering, great content or amazing interview connections and further story-telling. I started my career in the fashion cupboard at Tatler, and following went on to work at Vivienne Westwood studio in London — I was with Vivienne for two years, pre-email, so real connections with people, with collections, and to be honest I thought it was normal. I then realised I wanted to be more than working for a fashion brand, and applied, and got in to study BA (Hons) Fashion Communication at Central Saint Martins. I actually spent my gap year at W Magazine in New York, and WWD in LA — when there was still red carpet coverage, and stars would come into the office sans-managers for easy lunch interviews. I returned to London, worked for Esquire, and for family, reasons, I returned to SA (South Africa).. Here, I started working on major fashion projects — looking outside in, and inside out — connecting with brands who wanted a presence supporting African Creativity. And this is now where I feel we, as Narrative, really sing — we tell a global local / local global story — connecting internationals with a local South African and cross-continent cultural and client base, and taking the African story to a global Diaspora and international market.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is so interesting, as I met someone last week who is here for a week and has hired an vespa and asked me this exact question. Cape Town is divine! It’s a massively diverse city that has the best of everything — like LA you can be by the sea, or you can be in the mountains, You can have $400 dinners and $4 breakfasts… unlike LA , most things are withing a 30minute radius. So for a quick summary, my Cape Town looks like: Yoga at YogaLIfe — it’s hot, fast, intense and full power… it’s also in De Waterkant, which is a super cute neighbourhood of coloured houses, and later in the evenings, gay bars (some do still exist)… breakfast at EggHead on Kloof street — super inner-city, and high-styled 70s diner… a walk in Kirstenbosch gardens, a walk on the pipe track on table mountain (take a friend – never solo), a morning at Merchants on Long (the best cross-continent fashion and design) that’s presented as a world-class concept store in a heritage building in the centre of town… or if we’re not looking for a day itinerary I would say best to visit; Kalk Bay for fresh fish, Danger Beach for the local’s best swim, drinks at La Perla in Sea Point, a classic for an aperaol spritz… Zeitz MoCAA for an impressive building experience, the aquarium at shark feeding time… Babylonstoren for the best wine farm, the Norval Foundation for a beautiful local exhibition space, divine gardens and lunch offering, and for something truly fantastic, the OKAPI boutique on the Anthonij Rupert Wine Farrm.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow, this is a big question — as only now, at almost fifty, do I feel I am finally walking my path. In someways there must be a thank you to my mother — for pushing me to be more than her expectation of who I am, and to my daughter, to wanting to offer her the best opportunities in life. On a more practical level — my therapist who ultimately told me I was totally burnt out and needed to relook my life. Followed by my ex, who said, when my business was in the nascent phase, that I was floundering with the responsibility and deliverables, and he told me to ‘man up’ and step into myself, into my power, and give, and be, and do, what I’m good at. Once I actually did that, and I moved into that power space, I realised I’ve never felt more at home. More alive, and more myself.

Website: https://www.narrativepr.co.za/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narrativeza/