Why I Stopped Buying Designer Bags and Started Shopping Directly from China It started with a leather jacket. I was browsing a boutique in downtown Austin, Texas, where I live, and saw this gorgeous moto jacket – buttery soft, perfect stitching, exactly my vibe. The price tag? $1,200. I almost choked. Now, I’m not a total cheapskate; I run a small vintage resale business and love quality pieces. But something in me snapped. I thought, ‘This is made in China. I can find this directly.’ So I did. My name is Emilia Cruz, and I’m a 34-year-old thrift-flipper and part-time stylist living in Austin. My style? Think ‘desert nomad meets…