The idea for With Bogart was inspired by my hope to reduce the environmental impact of fashion by providing the option to shop locally and reduce carbon emissions associated with shopping online.
As time has gone on I've made further updates and looked for more ways to encourage and provide options for shopping more sustainably and ethically.
These options include the listing in 2022 of over 300 stores offering pre-loved fashion to make it far easier for you to find secondhand clothing and accessories you love.
I also consistently share pre-loved fashion and ethical brands through my regular blogs. The majority of my blogs also provide ethics ratings for all stores mentioned, again helping you make informed decisions about the brands you shop.
Shop My Finds is another way for me to share individual pieces with you, including pre-loved fashion and pieces from ethical brands.
Considering how important it is to me to contribute to reducing the impact of fashion on people and our planet, I will always be seeking new ideas that will help make fashion less damaging.
I hope you enjoy.
Thank you for visiting.
Gemma.
With Bogart acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future traditional custodians, the Yuggera people, of the land I call home and I'm ever grateful for sharing this country.
Within the fashion industry, 'ethical' is an umbrella term to describe fashion that is striving to reduce the negative impact it has on people, animals, and the planet. It recognises vital issues such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the environment, and animal welfare.
At With Bogart I appreciate that I'm part of a global community and that it is my responsibility to always pursue best practices relating to ethics and my brand.
Although I'm not involved in the production of fashion I still aim to continuously grow my understanding of the global challenge regarding ethics and the world of fashion and what I can do, both on a small and larger scale, to respect and work towards the change that’s required.
I'm also committed to helping you, my community, discover more about ethics related to fashion by sharing the insights I gain as well as brands that have pledged to make positive change.
Also, one of the valuable features of With Bogart is that I make it possible for you to shop stores and brands that are local to you, including both pre-loved and those offering new fashion. An option that is not available on any other shopping platform.
Shopping locally means lessening the distance your purchases will travel, therefore reducing the carbon footprint associated with shopping.
I also use a process that helps me avoid listing brands that fall below a minimum standard I have committed to. For example, stores listing products at prices that are extremely low cost and suggest poor standards for workers are never listed. I am human however, and may make errors, so if you happen to see a store you are concerned about, please let me know.
Fur and it's inhumane processes is another topic I'm concerned about and I’ve made considerable effort to ensure that With Bogart lists no stores selling fur products. Again, if you happen to come across one I’ve missed, I'd love to hear from you.
I plan to work towards a future where With Bogart has established a respected position within the industry and the opinion of our customer is valued and sought by those they buy from and is a catalyst for positive industry change.
My plan is to also help keep our community at With Bogart, you included, informed as to the change that continues around the globe across all fields of ethics regarding fashion.
I'm also based on premises which, on sunny days (of which there are many in Queensland, the Sunshine State), is powered by solar energy during my working hours and where waste is minimised wherever possible using compostable, biodegradable, and recyclable products.
The stores appearing on With Bogart have not been selected because they have achieved an exemplary ethical standard, although, as mentioned above, I do employ a minimum standard when determining stores to include. However, conscious fashion is very significant to me and I'm determined to play my part in change.
Tackling ethics related to fashion is not a small challenge, in fact it’s enormous, and I feel that isolating and excluding brands is probably not the right path.
Instead, I believe that for change to occur we need to approach this challenge together, as a global community. I hope that with the right pressure from customers, brands will see they must move towards better practices.
I also acknowledge that currently ethical labels can be more expensive due to the processes involved and therefore are not within everyone's price range.
The hope is that over time, as processes are refined and become standard within the industry, it will be more affordable for other labels to pursue conscious practices, and therefore more affordable for you to make the choice to shop ethical labels.
There is also good reason for you to personally show brands that you wish to see positive change; that you expect them to accept this challenge with honesty and integrity. In order to succeed brands must listen to their customers and make the changes that are expected of them. So let them hear you.
We’re in it for the long haul. And we’re in it together.
As Stella McCartney said, 'We can't rely on the fashion industry all making the changes without encouragement. We have to rely on customers insisting'.
You are the key to change.