Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty

As we discussed in the previous episode, nostalgia is so @#$%ing lucrative. So of course, everyone is trying to cash in with some nostalgia slop of their own...including Target.  In this "very special episode," we get started by dissecting the Target x dELiA*s "collab." The second half of the episode is pulled directly from the vault: a 2020 minisode all about the rise and decline of dELiA*s! In t...

From reissues of iconic toys to the resurgence of our favorite middle school brands, there is nostalgia for sale all around us.  In this episode, Amanda unpacks why nostalgia is a powerful (and easy) way to sell us lots of stuff that we probably don't really need.  Topics in this episode include Why do we love nostalgia so much? And what is it? Why does it seem like there is so much nostalgic stuf...

In a world of greenwashing, wall-to-wall podcast ads, and affiliate marketing "listicles," it's really hard to know if a brand is actually as sustainable and ethical as it claims.  Well, Amanda has been looking into this kind of stuff for years, so in this episode they will show you exactly what they do when they want to figure out the true story of a brand.  And specifically, we will unpack Quinc...

This episode is part ten in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we are going to examine brands and their values: their true values and then their marketing values (yes, most big companies have both and you might be surprised by the lack of overlap between those two sets of values).  And specifically, we are going to use Everl...

Forget apps, AI, and "miracle" eco fabrics...the solution to the fast fashion and overconsumption crisis is…PEOPLE.  The future is human! And one way people come into play as part of all of this is via their small businesses.  In this episode, Amanda is joined by Malena of The Slow Era, a vintage store and slow fashion community hub in Ames, Iowa. In this episode, we are going to talk about How Ma...

This episode is part nine in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we will continue to explore how the price we are willing to pay for an item (aka "perceived value") is directly related to branding: We will get to the bottom of those "compare at" prices at off price stores and outlets, An introduction to the term "anchor prici...

There are so many ways we can be an active, positive force within our communities. Sometimes it’s just hard to know where to start!  This week you’re going to meet Sara and Matthew, the people behind the hyperlocal small (free) newspaper The York msprint.   They are going to share how and why they decided to start the msprint , along with how you can do something similar in your community.   We wi...

Yes, there IS more ethical consumption under capitalism, but it all starts with understanding the impact of where and when we spend our money.  In this episode (part two of two), Amanda is joined by Lisa Sharp of Retro Housewife Goes Green .  We discuss the following: Recommendations for more ethical swaps for cleaning and personal care products, How Amanda and Lisa make more ethical decisions abo...

Yes, there IS more ethical consumption under capitalism, but it all starts with understanding the impact of where and when we spend our money.   In this episode (part one of two), Amanda is joined by Lisa Sharp of Retro Housewife Goes Green .  We discuss the following: How and when boycotting is effective, How shifting up our spending habits is really an exercise in “progress not perfection,” The...

This episode is part eight in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we will talk about how the price we are willing to pay for an item is directly related to branding: Why "perceived value" is almost more important than mathing the math, How brands manipulate the perceived value via small changes to products,  Why even the grap...

In part two of two, Amanda explains how and why they worked in fast fashion. This episode picks back up at Amanda's worst job ever, takes a journey through the very opaque supply chain to (hopefully) find out who is making our clothes, and ends up back in Philadelphia (again). And yes, Amanda is trying very hard to not be a people pleaser. Learn more about the sustainability of clothing rental by...

In part one of two, Amanda explains how and why they worked in fast fashion.  This episode gets started in Portland, OR in 2002, travels to the Urban Outfitters home office in Philadelphia, PA, then on to Los Angeles (Modcloth and Nasty Gal), and ends back in Portland, OR.  Yes, Amanda is really good at organizing a cross country move. Add your address to get a postcard. Get your Clotheshorse merc...

Survival *is* political. This week -- for the first episode of 2026 -- Amanda is joined by Lisa Sharp, aka Retro Housewife Goes Green.   Lisa shares her own experiences becoming activated politically. In this episode, we will discuss the following: What inspired Lisa to leave the Republican party in 2012 How Lisa avoided the "trad wife pipeline" How she is inspired by the resistance of women and c...

You asked for it, so here it is: a recap of Amanda's first two weeks of her 2025 Japan trip!  What Amanda covers in this episode: Tips for finding the best prices on airline tickets. Special shout to Rebecca for being in the ELITE 1% of listeners who read the show notes! 🏆🏆🏆 Why you should pack your favorite clothes for every trip, rather than buying new vacation clothes Amanda's strong feeling...

Hey! It's a little end of year treat: Mr. Dustin Travis White joins Amanda to talk about the two weeks they spent together in Japan, traveling from Nagoya to Fukuoka to Beppu to Tokyo.  They touch on all kinds of things in this episode: How and why one can hear more Christmas music in one month in Japan than they have heard in their entire adult life What is Kentucky Christmas? Physical media and...

This episode is part seven in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, recorded in Kyoto, Japan, we'll unpack how the importance of IRL shopping in Japan impacts the ways brands build emotional connections with customers: How nature creates the ultimate "Call To Action" for food shopping (and how the US has made most food non-seas...

This year, Clotheshorse all star, Maggie Greene (The Halloween Queen) embarked on an epic international, cross-country adventure that she called The Tragic Optimist Tour.  Along the way, she recorded conversations with the people she visited, eventually turning them into a new podcast called ATTN: Confidential.  And of course, she and Amanda had to record a conversation together…but with a twist:...

Live in Portland, OR at Holocene, Amanda is joined by Karen, Cassie, and Frances to talk about how sewing is an important part of a better future. We will also discuss: Maybe instant gratification isn't really that gratifying at all? Where and how sewing became an uncommon skill Why our lack of knowledge about sewing makes us overconsume (and expect things to be cheap and fast) Ways for teaching m...

Live in Seattle, WA at the Here-After, Amanda is joined by Nivi, Kim, and Janelle to talk about optimism, activism, and why doomerism is just so @#$%ing boring. We will also discuss: What it means to be a steward of your clothing Why it's more than "just clothes" What we sacrifice in favor of convenience culture How to lead by example for those around you And how to keep the conversation about dif...

Sweater season has arrived for many of us, so let's revisit a favorite episode from last 2023! Dani of Picnicwear joins Amanda to explain why (most) new sweaters are low quality, (near) future garbage (instead of future vintage).  It's a complicated tale of synthetic blends, increasing margin targets, and lower prices.   We'll explain how the fast fashion industry has kept prices low and profits h...

This episode is part six in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we'll unpack how social media has been harnessed as a tool to drive trends, spread misinformation, and create influence. Also, Corinna, Cat, Bonnie, Kevin, and Miriam share their own thoughts about brands, loyalty, and consumerism. In this episode:  What is an al...

This week, we are taking a break from the I'm With The Brand series to talk about mending! Jeanna and Mary are here to talk about their new book, Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It: Simple Hand-sewn Repairs to Help You Love Your Clothes For Longer .  In this episode, we will talk about the following: How and why Jeanna and Mary ended up writing a book about mending together Why it has become unusual to rep...

This episode is part five in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we will unpack how brands use customer information to create that emotional connection: A nostalgic trip back to the 00s:  the rise and fall of Urban Outfitters’ “coolness", and what it revealed about aspirational vs. actual customers. Why brands claim to be “ob...

This episode is part four in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode, we will explore three more "emotional branding" trends of this century: convenience, nostalgia, and hope. This episode includes the following topics: An explanation of trend forecasting and why most large brands are selling essentially the same stuff WGSN and ho...

This episode is part three in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode we will be unpacking and exploring various examples of "cause marketing:" The flaws in the "buy one, give one" model, How brands engineer fundraiser collections to be profitable, The effectiveness of "round up" at checkout campaigns, Why B Corp certification doe...