BY STEPHANIE PICKETT
NINETEEN year
old Gold Coaster Nicole Gibson talks to Stephanie Pickett about winning this
year’s Young Social Pioneer of the year award and her emotional journey as
founder and CEO of the Rogue and Rouge Foundation.
What is the Rogue and Rouge Foundation?
The Rogue and
Rouge Foundation is a necessitous circumstances fund that aids individuals
through the recovery process of mental illness, however also strives to reach
out to the wider community to help them question the way in which beauty is
perceived. I started it as a fashion label and it still is one, the only thing
that has changed is I now donate all proceeds to the charity and use fashion as
a way to raise funds.
Why did you choose this concept for your
foundation?
It touches me
personally; I was hospitalized for anorexia and almost lost my life. It’s a
viscous cycle and I was lucky to break it like did. When got better I realised
how much of a waste it was, you look at the stats… the girls that have these
problems are so talented and driven. I wanted to take the initiative to start a
preventative campaign that gets people really listening.
Did you find it hard to combine fashion and
health?
I started doing
fashion at QUT, but was really passionate about helping people with what I went
through, which was so prevalent in fashion, so it was a bit of a contradiction.
I interned for a semester with a designer in Brisbane and I told her that I was
really split between health and fashion; I loved both! She said that I’d never
be able to combine the two; I disagreed so I quit my internship and left QUT.
How did Rogue & Rouge come together?
I won Sun Super
Dreams For a Better World and got given a grant to start my business. You had
to put an application together of your dream for a better world and a business
model that would make it happen. My idea was to create a fashion label that
would help promote healthy body image and I did everything in my power to make
sure I won.
Where did you go from there?
I started the My
Dreams Campaign, where I had people summarise in one sentence what their dream
is for a better world, then get people on social media to like it. The top ten
dreams got printed on a Rogue & Rouge tee and proceeds from that went to
the charity. The charity’s main function with the finance is to pay for the
recovery process of individuals that are going through eating disorders or
mental illness.
What was it like to win this year’s Young Social
Pioneer of the year award?
Winning the
Young Social Pioneer (YSP) of the year award is an incredible opportunity for me;
I can now be a voice for youth. It’s also an amazing avenue to collaborate with
past YSP award winners and others working alongside them. It’s a fantastic
initiative and one day will have really strong alumni. What this is doing for
my foundation is invaluable; we’ve got so much more credibility!
Was this the highlight of your career so far?
Honestly, the
time I felt most rewarded was when I gave a speech a few months ago about my
experiences, what I have achieved since and why it’s important for people to
speak up about mental illness. Two girls approached me afterwards, they both
suffered from anorexia. Since I spoke to them, they’ve begun treatment and are
recovering. This was the first time felt like I was really making a difference
on a personal level.
What inspires and influences you?
It was a really
emotional journey for me to actually become the head of my organisation. I
found it difficult working with kids currently going through the same problems
I went through myself; I am really empathetic. It does however, give me the
incentive to keep myself healthy and strong and be a good role model, that’s
definitely a major drive to keep going.
What do you hope to achieve with the foundation?
We’ve almost
finished building a new electronics program for the main campaign
–‘Dollar-a-Deed’, which is marketed towards sponsoring school kids. The way
it’s designed, teachers can partner with students, create deed lists and
delegate them; it can be integrated really well into the classroom. The whole
concept shows kids they can make a difference in the community, no matter how
down on themselves they are. It gives them extra incentive to go above and
beyond and teaches them about self worth.
Do you feel there is enough support out there
for young entrepreneurs like yourself to succeed?
[For] young
entrepreneurs, especially ones running social enterprises there’s not enough
support from the government; the only way to get media is to collaborate with a
bigger organisation. Arts communities and social enterprises need to start
collaborating to do something really revolutionary. It’s just a matter of being
dedicated and thinking outside the box.
Have you collaborated a lot along the way?
We are aligned
now with The Eating Disorder Association, a longstanding national organisation.
It gives us so much more credibility. They are an awareness charity; girls go
to them and they refer those girls us. We can then help them with their
recovery; it works really well!
What are your hopes for the future?
I’d love to be on
Australian story. I have a lot of goals for the organisation, but for me
personally, I want to make sure I keep a balance in life and stay true to the
people I care about. I want to be an influential voice and a household name
because if I can get people to listen to what I have to say, that’s when
changes will be made. I want to one day be working internationally for the
awareness of mental illness.
Do you have any advice for young Australians?
I want kids to
know that you don’t have to adhere to certain rules to achieve. If you keep
pushing you’ll achieve your goals; people don’t achieve because they quit. If
you keep going you’ll get there. Stereotypes make no difference, because when
you’re passionate about what you do, people really respond; you just have to
believe in yourself!
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