Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty

Clotheshorse (aka Amanda) is in Japan! And in this week's episode, recorded in Kyoto, Amanda shares the history of Japanese convenience stores and why they are loved by tourists and the Japanese alike.  We'll talk about the following: The impact of convenience stores on low income people in the United States (and the reality of living in a food desert), The history of the convenience stores  (konb...

AI is being pitched as a solution for many of the world's greatest problems, including the environmental and ethical crisis that is fast fashion.  Is AI a real solution for a more sustainable fashion industry? Or is it just hype? This week's episode is a longer version of Amanda's recent talk about AI and fashion for the 2024 Fashion Changers conference in Berlin. Amanda breaks down the following...

Sewing can be an important component of the slow fashion way of life. This is part 2 in a series about all things sewing with Ruby Gertz of Spokes & Stitches . This episode is full of information and advice for anyone who is already sewing or looking to get started: Advice for finding your own secondhand sewing machine: where to look, what to look for, how to choose a good one, and even how mu...

Sewing can be an important component of the slow fashion way of life. This is part 1 in a series about all things sewing with Ruby Gertz of Spokes & Stitches. And wow, do we discuss a lot of stuff in this episode: A brief history of the mass production of clothing, Why people stopped sewing their own clothing as a regular part of daily life, We will unpack the barriers that make sewing a privi...

Sweater season has arrived for many of us, so let's revisit a favorite episode from last year! 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...

Making #Secondhand First second nature is an important component of the slow fashion way of life.  This is PART TWO of a two part series about how to shop secondhand. In this episode, Amanda focuses on shopping secondhand online, including the following: Different options for finding just about anything secondhand.  Some names will be super familiar, and others will probably be new. Best practices...

It's still Secondhand September, so we are exploring many different ways we can live a #SecondhandFirst way of life. This week we are going to be talking about all things clothing swaps with Sam, the founder and CEO of BeReworn , a platform that helps people find and host clothing swaps.  Sam will be sharing great advice for how to host your own clothing swap, including Where and when to have it,...

It’s Secondhand September! (insert airhorn here)  It's a big deal around here because a #SecondhandFirst approach to shopping is a key part of the slow fashion way of life. This is PART ONE of a two part series about how to shop secondhand. This installment is all about shopping secondhand/thrifting in-person. Amanda, a lifelong thrifter and major secondhand enthusiast, will discuss the following...

Amanda is joined by Corinne Loperfido , a social practice artist based in Texas.  We are going to talk about so many things slow fashion related, including: How denying/stifling our own humanity is fueling overconsumption and fast fashion, Why the merch industrial complex is a problem, and what a better future for merch could look like, Corinne's advice for starting your own journey into slow fash...

It's the first ever "recorded with a live studio audience" episode of Clotheshorse, recorded at West Art in Lancaster, PA.  For this very special event, Amanda is joined by Alex of St. Evens, Christine of Lady Hogg Vintage, and Dylan (a former thrift store worker). In 2023, Alex of St. Evens joined Amanda for a FOUR PART exploration of the ethics of secondhand resale. More than year and a half lat...

What's it like to leave fashion? And why would someone do that? Sarah of Deco Denim shares her experiences working as a denim designer and what she is doing now. In this episode we will discuss Sarah's experiences working for Levi's, among other companies Her journey to escape corporate fashion What she has learned along the way as a small business owner Her advice for anyone else looking to make...

In honor of Amanda's video with More Perfect Union, let's get into why new clothes are kinda garbage these days! New clothes ARE kinda garbage these days, from low quality synthetic fabrics to zippers that are a problem from the very first wear to lack of detail and poor fit.  And the low quality and short lifespan of this clothing is creating an environmental and ethical crisis for the planet and...

The future of fashion is small, ethical, and circular. The problem right now? Big businesses control the supply chain, making it really hard for small brands and designers to succeed. FABRIC is working to change that by building a fully circular supply chain here in the United States, powered by many, many small businesses. In this episode, Amanda is joined by Angela Johnson, co-founder of FABRIC....

This episode is part 3 in a short series about SHEIN: where it’s been, where it’s going, and how it is changing everything. If you haven’t listened to parts one and two yet, go do that before listening to this episode. In this part of the series, we will be tackling the human impact of SHEIN: Unpacking the meaning of "sustainability" using the UN's Sustainable Development Goals as a measuring stic...

This episode is part 2 in a short series about SHEIN: where it’s been, where it’s going, and how it is changing everything. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, go do that before listening to this episode. In this part of the series, we will be tackling: An update on SHEIN's IPO plans. Why and how SHEIN's low prices are unnaturally and unethically low. How SHEIN’s byzantine corporate structure...

SHEIN has–and is– changing what it means to buy and sell clothing on planet Earth.  And it’s not a change for the better. It’s a change we should all care about, no matter where WE buy our clothing. Because SHEIN and what it means for the future of making and selling just about any category of stuff WILL impact every one of us: no matter what we wear, where we live, the kind of job we have, or how...

Amanda is joined by Dr. Colleen Pokorny, Assistant Professor of Apparel Design at Oregon State University. Before making the shift to education, Colleen was a technical designer in the world of fast fashion.  And there is so much to cover in this episode: What is a technical designer? How has the speed of fast fashion made clothing fit even worse? Why aren't clothing sizes standardized here in the...

Amanda is joined by artist, designer, sewist, and small business owner, Janelle Abbott.   We will learn about her recent performance, 14 Hours, in which Janelle spent 6 days sewing for 14 hours each day, demonstrating the lived experience of a Bangladeshi garment worker.  Other things discussed in this episode: Art as a means of helping others understand the impact of fast fashion Upcycling as a n...

This episode is part two in a recurring series examining and debunking the most common “excuses” and justifications we see for supporting, maybe even protecting(?) fast fashion and fast everything. And this week we are going to explore a classic comeback to conversations about fast fashion: “it’s classist to talk about fast fashion.”   We will explore the following questions: What is class? What a...

This episode is part one of two about laundry and clothing care. You can find the other episode as episode 153 in your feed! It's the year of Earth Logic here at Clotheshorse, where we are planning to reduce our consumption of brand new clothing by 75%! It's essential that we get as much wear as possible out of clothes. And how we wash, dry, and deal with those stains is a big part of making our c...

This episode is part one of a FOUR episode series examining the ethics of secondhand resale with Alex of St. Evens. You can find the other installments as episodes 160-162. In the first installment, we will tackle two arguments often tossed around in discussions about secondhand on social media: Thrift stores are designed to be a resource for low income people. Resellers are making tons of money f...

It's the 200th episode of Clotheshorse and we are going live (and on video) for the first time ever! Amanda is joined by special guest Gem Masland ( @draugqueen ) to celebrate this very special occasion. This episode is filled with cool stuff: ★ Awesome messages from listeners about their own journeys within the slow fashion movement. Thanks to Desirée, Susan, Stacie, Frances, Maggie, Ruby, and Ka...

If you dare to dive into the comments section on just about any post about fast fashion or fast everything, you are guaranteed to see more than one person saying "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism."  This episode is part one in a recurring series examining and debunking the most common “excuses” and justifications we see for supporting, maybe even protecting(?) fast fashion and fast...

How do we get people to join our community and work for change alongside us? By talking about slow fashion, fast fashion, and overconsumption! But starting these conversations can be intimidating.  And frustrating to continue! Have YOU ever tried to change minds in the comment section of a social media post?!  Fortunately Amanda has learned a lot about how to have productive conversations about sl...

There is no question that travel impacts both our planet and its people.  Yet it's also an amazing opportunity to explore both ourselves and world, while deepening our understanding for the other humans sharing this planet. Can we travel more responsibly, finding a balance between ethics and exploration?  Amanda is joined by Desirée of The Pewter Thimble and travel writer/educator Ginger to break...