I don't know if I've seen anyone talk about this but do you think it's possible Eden was already in a resource deficit before the quiet rapture? In the flashbacks where we see it happen everyone already has that sort of scrapcore aesthetic and while many layers for the cold of space makes sense the amount of clothing that seems almost fairly destroyed but still layered on top is still super noticable
So, fun fact, Simon's an unreliable narrator.
We see with Michael (Cross the Wires Guy, the dude he was arguing with in his head about Filament Station) that Simon is remembering him as a child even though he's in the hallway of Filament Station. He should be an adult here, and he's not:
This is a prose on Simon clinging to the past. He'd rather not see this man for what he was. He'd rather see this man as the kid he once knew.
We also see Simon feeling like a child and yet looking down at adult hands.
A prose on Simon feeling like he was thrust into adult positions way too damn young.
Now, I am going to take this scene as an example of your "they're wearing scrapcore before the Quiet Rapture" argument:
This is not a linear scene, despite what it seems like on the surface. Mars disappearing in the background; hell, Mars being there at all is to visually indicate the grief of loss. The black loneliness of space after everything vanished. It's how Simon is feeling and it's not to be taken literally.
The reality of this event was probably just this:
Because Simon is imagining where Mars used to be. Any event where Mars is depicted is Simon daydreaming about the past, because, as I've said many times before, Simon's biggest vice is nostalgia.
Also, going into headcanon territory, if we run with my Space Appalachia theory, those MFs were not wearing Gucci to begin with. They were space farmers. /j
So, more on the scrapcore stuff... because I went back and looked. Whoever was in charge of costuming was making visual jokes left and right with some of these Eden kids. BECAUSE WHAT IS THIS?!?!
I need to put these costumes in word format so you guys can just fucking grasp how ridiculous these kids look in practice.
Michael power-posing with a cool ass vest and armor (he does NOT look silly. Big reason why he stood out to me as a character earlier).
Unnamed child wearing completely useless and dangerous item around his neck (god forbid that snags on something)
Crop top w/ sheer shirt with shorts and beanie kid (they put the chubby kid in a crop top. Are you fucking serious. I'm not making fun of him I'm making fun of the producers because what the fuck is this. Why did they do him like that.)
Simon power-posing with Michael. No notes. Awesome design. You can see his knife very clearly and I think it's silly that Simon used to dress a little edgy and wear black.
A kid with a bowl cut, wearing a fedora with the scrapcore version of this shit. M'lady.
Nerdy kid in big goggles who looks like Mike Teavee from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. No further notes.
Okay, okay, I'll stop my tangent. Please enjoy this very silly and hopefully helpful insight.