Today we’d like to introduce you to Gemma Prior

Hi Gemma, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

With Bogart was not originally a part of my plans. From the age of 18 I was working towards my career as a pilot. My dream. I’d worked all sorts of jobs saving to study for my pilot licence, including 6 months on a prawn trawler in the Gulf of Carpentaria. By 2009 I had completed my Commercial and my Airline Licence, was in the process of completing my Instrument rating, and had been offered my first job when, during a flight, I started to feel very unwell. After many visits to doctors and endless tests, I was diagnosed with an auto-immune illness and my dream of flying was no longer possible. For the first few years of my illness, I was often too unwell to even sit in a chair and would spend my days either visiting doctors or lying on the couch. After discovering some treatment that helped I began looking for ideas of what to do next. Still not well enough to return to the workforce I was really just looking for a worthwhile way to spend my days. I had been too unwell to visit shops for many years and had moved to shopping online. In doing so I noticed how popular online shopping had become, especially in the world of fashion, and the environmental and social impact of this was troubling. I decided I wanted to do something to help inform others of this situation and what we, as individuals, could do to reduce the impact our wardrobe was having on both people and our planet. That’s where the idea for With Bogart began. I collected hundreds of clothing stores from around the world and organised them on my website according to their shipping base. This way people could find stores close to home to reduce the CO2 footprint associated with purchasing from abroad and I published blogs offering people further ideas for creating a more sustainable wardrobe. More recently I also shared hundreds of secondhand clothing stores through With Bogart encouraging people to move towards pre-loved fashion where possible.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. And no doubt there are still plenty of bumps and bends to come. When I started working on With Bogart I entered a completely unknown world. I went from spending my days talking about aircraft systems and physics to reading about fashion, business and marketing, IT, and so many other things I had almost no understanding of. One of the first challenges was creating a website. That was an expensive learning curve! I encourage anyone starting out not to pay the full fee when your website is being created. Unfortunately, I paid upfront, the IT company did a terrible job with the simple design I’d created, then, despite me needing to move to another company to fix things, they kept all the money I’d paid. Not a good start! Another challenge has been learning to say no. I’ve been offered partnerships with some fashion brands that do not meet the ethical standard I’ve selected for With Bogart and saying no to the experience and the income is difficult but necessary. I also used to find it very difficult to manage my work hours. I’m still unwell with the auto-immune illness that got me here, and learning to achieve less on bad days has taken a long time but is important. I no longer feel the need to fit 9 or 10 hours of work into each day (including weekends!).

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about With Bogart?

As I mentioned earlier the instigator for With Bogart came from recognising what a huge negative impact the world of fashion and online shopping was having on people and our planet. Frightening figures were emerging. Especially associated with fast fashion but also many luxury labels. The carbon emissions linked with millions of people shopping abroad online, the horrible conditions experienced by workers, the appalling pay received by millions, and the unbelieveable waste ending up in landfill. My focus from the beginning has been to inform and encourage people to recognise the realities of the world of fashion as it is, the role we play as individuals, and how we can make better choices. I focus on sharing brands making an effort to reduce the impact of their product, stores offering pre-loved clothing, and saving to buy fewer good quality pieces rather than buying lots of cheap fashion. I’ve had people let me know that they’ve changed their shopping habits based on information I’ve provided and that’s a real win. Really, that’s my entire purpose for With Bogart so I’m proud of that. With Bogart has also helped me remain positive through some really hard years with my health and for that, I’m very grateful.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?

I’m actually working on the next phase of With Bogart right now. I’m about to start selling pre-loved clothing myself. Initially, pieces will appear on my website, but sales will occur through eBay. If this goes well and sales are consistent, then I intend to expand my website and sell pieces directly through With Bogart. I’ve been lucky to gain some followers through Instagram, some I’ve come to know quite well, and I’m hoping with that community already a part of With Bogart, some might also start shopping the pre-loved fashion I share. I’m looking forward to this! I’ve also recently been offered the opportunity to partner with a brand called Good On You who rank brands based on their ethics. My task will be to share the brands that are dedicated to creating sustainable fashion with my followers and those visiting my website. I’m really happy to be a part of this. Good On You provide the tool I’ve used for some time now to rank any brand I share through With Bogart, so it’s great to join with them in this journey towards a healthier world of fashion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.withbogart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withbogart/