Gabi Gregg is a style blogger, designer, and creator of GabiFresh.com. Her mission is to not just encourage women of all sizes to feel beautiful but to create change within the fashion industry. And that’s exactly what she’s done.
When Gabi started her blog in 2008, fashion and style blogs didn’t really exist. She started her blog out of frustration that fashionable clothing options for plus size women didn’t exist and it was so difficult to find anything young and trendy in the market. Her mission was two-fold: create a space where plus size women could find fashion tips and change the fashion industry.
In 2012, Gabi created a viral craze when she did a plus size “bikini shoot”. The photos of Gabi in her “fatkini” quickly landed her a 5-year design partnership with Swimsuitsforall and put her on the map as a blogger with mega influence. When she announced her first collection – it sold out within months!
Her blog quickly picked up a following, and she became a trusted source for plus-size women because she offered something that didn’t exist. Because she was such a trusted source, and a pioneer in her niche, Gabi garnered the attention of media outlets such as Good Morning America, The Today Show and MTV.
It took Gabi a while to warm up to the idea of accepting money from brand sponsorships because she felt like she would be selling out. However, after getting advice from Patrice Yursik of Afrobella (side note – isn’t Afrobella THE MOST amazing mentor?!), she was open to getting paid for her work. Eventually, she was contacted by a blogging agency who represented her and took her monetization to the next level. She still works with them today.
In this episode, Gabi and I discuss:
- Why her blog gained a huge following very quickly;
- How signing on with a blogging agency helped her see her value and learn the to use her influence to create a sustainable business;
- And some of the struggles she faced trying to get her clothing line, Premme, off the ground.
Gabi has written for InStyle Magazine, Vogue Italia, Refinery29 and Rookie Mag. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and MTV, and has partnered as an ambassador and consultant to many top global brands, including Target, Lane Bryant, and Dove.
Most recently, she co-founded and launched Premme, a fashion-forward brand for young women, sizes 12-30.
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