Inspiring Conversations with Georgette Rodgers

Hi Georgette, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve had a love affair with clothing and accessories since I was a kid. My mother is a seamstress and taught me how to sew at a very young age. Even as a young child, I could often be found at her sewing machine making scrunchies and other small items. I took those skills with me to college where I studied fashion design at FSU and from there to New York’s fashion industry. While I enjoyed working for brands such as Calvin Klein and Nautica, I still dreamed of having my own fashion label. After a few years, I realized that metropolitan life wasn’t for me and chose to move back to Florida. In 2008, I decided to take the plunge and launch my brand G. A. Rodgers, a women’s fashion line consisting of smart casual clothing at an affordable price. I intended to sell wholesale to boutiques. However, I quickly changed my business plan to producing limited amounts of each style and selling them directly to customers from my online shops. This change allowed me to ensure the utmost quality of each piece.

As the collection grew and my sewing production increased, I was accumulating a large number of scraps. Not wanting to throw away the fabric, I started creating accessories from those scrap pieces. I began making small purses and they were a hit. Next, I moved into making Eyeglass Cases and these were even more popular. I received orders from Australia, Israel and all over the world. These items were so well-liked that I was inspired to create an entire line of smaller accessories. Around this time, I began participating in local Craft Shows. Being able to interact with shoppers in person was very gratifying and became my favorite way to connect with customers. I was attending a number of shows throughout the year and doing quite well until the Covid-19 shut-down. Again, I found myself focusing entirely on my online shops. Although Craft Shows are coming back slowly, it’s definitely not back to normal, but I’m confident we’ll get there. These days, I’m making Face Masks along with Women’s Clothing, Eyeglass & Sunglass Cases and other small accessories. I’m also working diligently on growing my social media presence.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! I’ve learned many lessons along the way, most of which revolve around the power of pivoting.

When I launched my clothing line, I participated in a large trade show. It was an epic fail. I painstakingly created all of my samples, spent countless hours analyzing marketing materials, and paid thousands of dollars to be an exhibitor. After all of that work, I did not receive one order. I was crushed. I went home in debt and feeling like a total failure. During that low point, I decided to sell my samples. I opened up an online shop and listed all of my garments. To my surprise, my items began selling. So, with my leftover fabrics, I made a few more pieces and put those up for sale. Again, to my surprise, the garments sold. That’s when it hit me…pivot.

I needed to pivot and change my business model. I needed to sell directly to the customer. Making that shift saved my business.

That transition also taught me it was ok to be small fish in a big pond. Early on, I felt the burden of competing with multimillion-dollar corporations. I was working 80 hours a week trying to accomplish a mountain of tasks. It was overwhelming. After reaching my breaking point, I had to set boundaries to have a healthy work-life balance. I no longer feel pressured and have made peace with knowing that my to-do list will not be completed in one day. Trying to keep up with fashion brands that have million dollar budgets and hundreds of thousands of employees is unrealistic for a small business. It’s the fastest route to feeling burned out and is just plain unhealthy.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about G. A. Rodgers?
G. A. Rodgers is a Women’s fashion line specializing in smart casual clothing and unique accessories for women of all ages. We pride ourselves on producing a quality product and aim to be a brand that is fashion forward today and still relevant for tomorrow.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My fondest childhood memory is attending the annual Ebony Fashion Fair with my mom. This was a traveling fashion show featuring African-American models that would come to our city every year. For my mom and I, this was our annual girls’ night out. We’d get dressed up, have dinner and attend the show. The Ebony Fashion Fair not only introduced me to haute couture fashion but also to African-American designers. Seeing women who looked like me, wearing couture pieces was eye-opening and knowing the designer was African-American was inspiring. This is where my love for quality clothes began and where the desire to become a designer came from.

Pricing:

• The accessories range from $5.00 – $35.00
• The clothing pieces range from $25.00 – $100.00

Contact Info:

• Email: info@garodgers.com
• Website: www.garodgers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopgarodgers/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopgarodgers
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/garodgers
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/garodgers/