Gen Z designers warning over young peoples Temu, Shein obsession: The cost builds

The cost of living crisis has made most people reevaluate their spending, and a young Aussie has pointed out the common cheap act that is costing us more in the long run.Maddie Langshaw, 26, was earning more than $100,000 working full-time in social media and marketing when she decided to start her slow fashion brand Audrey Atelier.It wasn’t just her love of fashion that spurred on the decision — she said she also came to the realization fast fashion was a rort.“It feels cheap in that exact moment but the cost builds,” she told news.com.au.“Whether it’s the constant need to replace poor quality items, or the environmental damage, or just the mental clutter of owning too much that doesn’t mean anything.”Ms Langshaw said the danger with embracing fast fashion was you were always left wanting to buy more.“It encourages this mindset of constant consumption, where clothes lose all meaning.It’s not fashion, it’s waste,” she said.“It’s also emotionally draining, because it keeps us in a loop of wanting more but never feeling truly satisfied.”The fashion designer understands the perils of fast fashion because she’s been a consumer in the past.“I definitely fell into it in the past, buying things just because they were cheap or trendy.

But over time, the charm completely wore off,” she said.“The clothes didn’t last, and honestly, I didn’t feel like me in them.Now, my wardrobe is 90 per cent thrifted or second-hand.“If I do buy something new, it takes me at least five or six rounds of research.

I want to know who made it, what it’s made of, and whether it’s something I’ll love long-term.”Ms Langshaw argued that fast fashion created the illusion that more was better and clothes were disposable.“It’s a trap that keeps us buying and never feeling fulfilled.Once you shift the mindset out of it, you save more money long term and invest in pieces that you have forever,” she said.She’s also had some horror experiences...