Aussie influencer is closing her fashion brand because she’s too busy
A Gold Coast woman currently living in Bali has announced the “end of an era” for her fashion business – to focus on influencer work instead.
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A Gold Coast influencer has announced she’s “closing down” her clothing brand because she “doesn’t have the time” to work on it anymore.
Tahlia Skaines, who currently lives in Bali, has revealed she’s shutting down her namesake label because she’s “time poor” after purchasing a house in Australia that needs renovations and juggling multiple work commitments.
The 29-year-old, who boasts 836,000 followers on Instagram and another 100,000 on TikTok, launched Skaines The Label after amassing a large fan base documenting her lavish lifestyle after leaving university.
“Basically, I’m so time poor and have so much going on and wear so many different hats,” Skaines said in a recent video.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am so lucky and so blessed to be doing what I do, but I have come to the realisation that I don’t want to feel so rushed and busy and chaotic and like I am always catching my tail.
“At this point in my life, I want to be more settled, I want to be relaxed and more calm,” she said.
The popular influencer, whose clothing range is best known for its bikinis, said while she was initially “gutted” to be closing her fashion brand she had decided she wanted to “work smarter, not harder” as she neared her thirties.
“I realised I can’t give anything I’m working on at the moment 100 per cent and something had to give,” she said.
“So I sat down and worked out what makes me the most happy, first and foremost, and what I actually want to do which was a bit of a reality check.
“Also, obviously financially as well, I considered what is smartest because I’ve worked so hard in my career.
“So I’m not going to continue with Skaines The Label, I am so sorry to anyone that this might disappoint … but I just can’t do it all.”
While Skaines said she was “happy and at peace” with her decision, noting it meant she could focus on her “influencer work”, many fans were quick to flood the comments section to discuss the brand’s “end of an era”.
“Love that you have the confidence to make big decisions and to always follow your heart and head,” one wrote.
“Good luck on your new adventure,” shared another.
As one claimed: “Bigger and better things coming your way.”
Others pointed out that the closure meant “people lost their jobs”, a factor Skaines addressed in her announcement.
“Speaking to my employees made it feel very real, I was so worried and scared to tell them,” she said.
“But they took it so well.”
Skaines is the latest in a long line of influencers who have announced the closure of their brands recently, which includes Ashy Bines who shut down her activewear label Baseline, and comedian Christian Hull who closed his “X-rated” shop.
Hull, who has 1.9 million TikTok followers, launched the “Fk Off Shop” after he went viral during Covid with his first product, a flower pendant that contained “leave me alone” energy.
With a promising start, Hull poured thousands of dollars into buying unique and quirky stock, but as the economic climate changed at the end of the pandemic he found himself in a huge amount of debt.
“People just are not spending, everything costs so much money and what I sell isn’t essential. No one needs a penis shaped cheese board or an umbrella with a huge middle finger on it,” he told news.com.au in June.
“The last 18 months have been so stressful and I haven’t been making any money and have $240,000 of inventory sitting in a warehouse that I’m paying rent for, so the obvious solution was to just call it a day and admit defeat,” he said.
The number of recent closures has sparked speculation that “influencer brands are dead” on The Outspoken Podcast.
Many listeners agreed, arguing it is because consumers “don’t trust” influencer products.
“Her thinking anyone would want a hoodie with the word Skaines on it is wild,” one stated.
“I think everyone is now just aware that there all made in the same factory and just have a name plastered on them,” another claimed.
“We don’t trust influencers anymore,” mused someone else.
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Originally published as Aussie influencer is closing her fashion brand because she’s too busy