Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty

In part two of a three part series, Liz Ricketts of the OR Foundation is back to continue our discussion about the repercussions of our overconsumption on Ghana, its people, and our entire planet.  And Amanda gives a lesson on circularity and clothing recycling...and why these two terms are being used more and more in greenwashing campaigns. Please follow the OR Foundation on IG @theorispresent Wa...

Throwaway culture may not seem to affect you personally (spoiler: it actually is), but the fast fashion cycle of shop/wear a few times/donate is having a massive negative impact on humans, animals, and the planet...it’s just happening out of our line of sight. In part one of a three part series, Liz Ricketts of the OR Foundation breaks down the repercussions of our overconsumption on Ghana, its pe...

When was the "golden era" of Etsy? In the final installment of the Etsy-sodes, we will be exploring many pivotal moments that changed the company's trajectory (and the lives of its sellers).  When did the good times end/the less good times begin?  We will try to figure that out!  We'll be covering the return (and bitter departure) of Rob Kalin, the manufacturing policy change, the IPO (and the sub...

Welcome back to 2008! We pick up the story of Etsy in 2008, when the start-up accepted some serious cash from some serious investors.  And we'll do the math:  how easy is it to "quit your day job" as Etsy promised its sellers? Extra Credit Reading! "Manifesto to Maria," EtsyBitch. "Can Rob Kalin Scale Etsy? " Max Chafkin, Inc. " The Etsy Wars, " Jessica Bruder, Fortune Small Business. "Sellers Gro...

You can't tell the story of Etsy without talking about eBay. eBay crawled so Etsy could run...or something like that. In this episode, we'll break down the history of eBay and how it revolutionized the idea of buying stuff from strangers on the internet.  Also:  a special guest drops by to listen to a wild story about eBayy involving stalking, prank pizzas, and lots of paranoia. "Inside eBay’s Coc...

Today we’ll dig into the early days of Etsy, with special attention on the very crafty, very political, very community-driven primordial soup that birthed Etsy.  This will be a majorly nostalgic moment for some of you, especially if you’ve ever subscribed to Bust or attended a Stitch 'n Bitch night.  We are going to spend most of this episode in 2005, but we'll take a brief trip back to 1998 to le...

Jade of Fashion Without Trashin has been selling secondhand clothing for a loooooong time. Today Jade will share her journey as a reseller: from Ebay to Poshmark to literally opening her own store. She has a ton of expertise to share! By the time you finish this episode, you will know more than ever that selling secondhand is hard work, it’s skilled work, and it's worth paying for.  We are also go...

One of our favorite myths to debunk around here is the idea of free shipping. Trucking industry expert (and very stylish person) Bethany is going to help us break down all the people and money involved in getting stuff to stores, to warehouses, and to us.  And while trucking might seem invisible to us as we’re curled up on the couch about to check out our shopping cart...trucking is a major indust...

Working retail is almost a universal experience here in the U.S with over 60% of all workers having held a retail job at some point.  Yet retail work is hard, poorly paid, and filled with abuse.  According to a recent Washington Post report , 649,000 retail employees gave notice in April. In this episode we are going to dig into the relationship between retailers and their workers. And we'll look...

Clotheshorse all-star Alex of St. Evens is back today to talk about the exciting history of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, also known as the ILGWU. We’ll talk about the history of garment work, how unions changed it, and how our clothes are made today.   We’ll also take some detours to Sex and the City and Costco. And we’ll also talk about why you YES YOU should care about clothin...

Meet Rebekah of Flux Bene , a small batch ethical clothing brand.  Another amazing Pittsburgh person and brand!  Is Pittsburgh an anti-brunch paradise?  Perhaps!  We’ll be talking about all the things, including the importance of upcycling, and disrupting the relationship between gender and clothing. Rebekah will also give you some tips/ideas for customizing your own clothes and giving them new li...

Today rather than a new episode of Clotheshorse, Amanda wanted to share one of her favorite episodes of her other podcast The Department. This is part one of two about #girlboss, the commodification of feminism as a marketing story, and the nefarious beast and capitalist rebrand that is #hustle culture. And oh yeah, there's actually a bonus third episode.   Check them out!!! They are a great tie-i...

It’s episode 59!  It's part two of Amanda's conversation with Rebecca and Tia of Old Flame Mending.   We'll be getting into some nitty gritty mending and hemming talk.   Also:  we finally discover that those iron mending patches are NOT a good option! Want to learn more about sachiko? Check out East West Shop's blog. Meredith calls in to talk about how Covid is affecting dock workers, Sophia calls...

This is episode 58...our first episode of Consumption Month (which other people like to call March)!  It's also the first episode in our three part conversation with Tia and Rebecca of Old Flame Mending. We will be talking about the difference between mending and tailoring, how Tia and Rebecca started a mending business, and the challenges and joys of running a business with your best friend!  Thi...

This episode features the second half of our conversation with Clotheshorse all-star Salisha about kid’s clothing.  Today we’ll discuss all of the weird safety laws for kids clothing. We’ll be talking about cigarettes an awful lot for an episode about kids clothes. But wait...there’s more! It’s Secondhand Month, so  we'll be talking to textile artist Rose Beerhorst of Brave Hand Textiles.   She’ll...

Clotheshorse all-star Salisha is back to talk to us about kids' clothes! You might remember her from our episodes about off-price stores and that food at TJ Maxx.  In this half of our conversation, we’ll be talking about the differences between making kids clothes and adult clothes (because Salisha has done both), and how the pricing just doesn’t add up.  We’ll also address a letter that Elise sen...

As you know, January is Trash Month here at Clotheshorse.  Today's special guest is Anna Sacks, who you might know as @thetrashwalker on Instagram and TikTok.   Anna shares videos exposing waste by large corporations...especially companies that direct employees to destroy and throw out otherwise perfectly fine products just because they didn’t sell.  This can include food, hygiene products, paper...

Claire Doody is the designer and mastermind behind super stylish plus-sized brand, Copper Union and plus-sized fashion show Knock Out . In today's episode, we'll discuss her journey (it's a long one) from artsy middle school to true fashion innovator/rule breaker.  This is the first half of our conversation and we'll be talking about all kinds of important things, including Project Runway, wearing...

It's part two (of three) of our conversation with sustainable designer Selina Sanders .  She shares her stories of being embedded in Chinese factories, the pettiness/ugliness of the fashion industry, and the saga of the $5 beaded sandals continues! Also, Amanda answers listener Elena's questions about Fair Trade.  Just like everything else we discuss around here, Fair Trade is both opaque and comp...

Sustainable fashion designer Selina Sanders was pretty much destined for a career in fashion.  She comes from a long line of creative and stylish people.  She joins us to talk about her family, her mom's struggles as a mother/wife/designer and her own move from the the Philippines to the U.S. as a teenager.  And of course:  her concerns with how the industry is operating.   This is part one of thr...

Vintage expert and entrepreneur Christine of Ladyhogg Vintage joins us to explain the ins and outs of running a vintage business.   It's a nonstop hustle!  We will talk about the overhead expenses of vintage (it's more than just thrifting), the challenges of paying herself a living wage, and how she's coping in the era of Covid.   And so much more! Do you have an episode suggestion?  A burning que...

You know how it goes when you’re shopping.  You go into that store that you shop all the time and you grab your usual size in a few things.  You go in the fitting room and….one thing is too big, one is just right, another one is falling off your shoulders but you can’t zip it, the next is flattening your boobs and you can’t lift your arms...but they are the same size.  How does that happen? It mak...

This is part one of a three part series with our friend Dani from Picnic.   Before she started her own slow fashion brand, she designed sweaters (knitwear) for several fast fashion brands. We already know that fast fashion knocks off everyone, both designers big and small, but did you know that they also knock one another off? Dani explains how this happens and why it is so, so silly.  We also dis...

We know that cotton is natural and polyester is synthetic, but what about all of the other names we see on the labels inside our clothing?  What is rayon? How does that relate to Cupro and Tencel?  It's really challenging to figure out which fabrics are the best for our world and for our lives when we don't know what these words mean!   Fabric expert (and professional weaver) Janelle is here to br...

We dive into the HIGHLY problematic world of the denim industry, with special guest and mega denim expert Michelle. "Am I profiting off of someone else's misery?" Michelle said this during our conversation and it has stuck with us since we recorded this weeks ago. Denim is the All-American fabric and jeans are the quintessential uniform of Americana, yet the denim industry is one of the most envir...