Perth clothing brand to close, others could follow as thousands attend 'fast fashion' event

As thousands of shoppers hunt for bargains at a cheap clothing event, one Australian brand is closing its doors as local designers struggle to compete with 'fast fashion' producers.

Australia has historically outsourced the majority of its fashion production overseas, meaning textiles can be mass-produced cheaply.

As the cost of living crisis fuels demand for affordable clothing, Australians continue to access cheap fashion globally, largely thanks to the growth of online 'fast fashion' sites.

Fast fashion is a term coined to describe clothing that is produced quickly, on a mass scale.

A multi-billion dollar online clothing platform gave Perth shoppers the chance to buy their clothes in person this weekend.

Ellise was the first through the doors.

“I've been waiting here since 6am, it was really dark,” she said.

“They have very unique designs, I'm very happy they came to Perth.”

Crowds gathered in the Claremont Showgrounds car park for hours, ready to buy big and cheap.

“[It cost] $130 for those three items, which was a real bargain because I think if you were to go anywhere else it would be $500 to $600,” Ellise said.

Monopoly on manufacturing

At the same time, local designer Shannon Malone was filling her final orders, closing her brand after four years in business.

“It was just no longer viable to produce clothing in Western Australia with the market and the price I had to charge for the clothing,” she said.

With just one employee, Ms Malone designed, cut and sewed clothes from her Perth studio.

“Fast fashion giants have a monopoly on manufacturing products. They have the fastest turnaround times,” she said.

“There are giants that proudly boast about having 120 new styles a week. There is no way a brand like mine, at this scale, can compare to the turnaround of a massive brand like that.”

Ms Malone's is one of several Australian brands closing shop as part of an escalating battle to compete in global e-commerce.

“It feels like a small business closes every week,” she said.

“A real double standard”

Australians have become the world's biggest per capita consumers of clothing, according to a study by the Australia Institute.

The 2024 analysis found that Australians buy an average of more than 50 new items of clothing per year.

The average value of these new clothes is $13, compared to $40 in the UK.

Malone said the outsourcing of production overseas has prevented people from understanding what goes into making a durable, long-lasting product.

“More and more households and consumers want to know where our food comes from, where our eggs come from, but that is not at all the case with clothes.

“There is a real double standard.”

Small brands in difficulty

Designer Luka Rey makes swimsuits to order from her home studio and says fast fashion houses have used the rising cost of living to their advantage.

The result is clothes with a shorter lifespan.

“I think a lot of the big brands are seeing price increases across the board, and they're looking to fill that gap and just start offering a lower priced product and introducing cheaper materials,” she said.

“But that's obviously not something I would feel comfortable doing.”

Ms. Rey said smaller brands charge a higher price because their products are typically made from expensive materials in small quantities.

She said the argument for local support is more nuanced than expecting people to spend beyond their means.

“There's no denying that there are people who can't afford it,” she said.

“I don't think it's fair to necessarily say that everyone should spend more, but it's about encouraging people to keep their values ​​in check.

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