Clotheshorse

Embodied Sex and relationships are intimate — and sometimes intimidating to talk about. In this weekly podcast from North Carolina Public Radio WUNC, host Anita Rao guides us on an exploration of our brains an...

We talk with @clotheshorse.bsky.social podcast host and fashion industry insider Amanda Lee McCarty about why fast fashion has such a particular hold on us and what we can do about it!⁠

LISTEN HERE: link.podtrac.com/embodied

This is a tour poster for the Clotheshorse show happening on Thursday, 10/23 in Seattle WA at Here-After. The theme will be Community and Collaboration. You can get tickets at thecrocodile.com

Join me and my amazing guests for a night of community, slow fashion, and fun TOMORROW night in Seattle!

If Amanda Lee McCarty from @clotheshorse.bsky.social
ever writes a book, I will absolutely contribute to the Kickstarter. She definitely has enough material from doing the podcast

In this week's installment of an ongoing series about synthetic fabrics and fibers, we're talking about faux fur and suede. open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

This week's substack about acrylic has me thinking about this a lot this morning: clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/acrylic-it...

Fast fashion forces people with limited access and economic means to be a part of the suffering of other humans, sometimes on the other side of the world, sometimes in their own community...because these industries have removed better options and better pay in favor of higher profits.

A billboard with a white cat that says "We are not doomed...unless we just give up and do nothing." The misty hills of Portland are in the background.

I needed to hear this today.

A billboard that says "Clotheshorse, 10/26, Holocene."

I had a fantasy of taking out a billboard in downtown Portland in honor of my "homecoming" live show at Holocene on 10/26...but alas, billboards are SO EXPENSIVE! And I'm a horse-they with a tight budget. So here's a fake one!

What is nylon? Part four in an ongoing weekly series about synthetic fabrics

Nylon is all around us. How is it made? What is the impact? And how do we care for it?

Part four in an ongoing series about synthetic fabrics.

open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

This weekend is my birthday. And as a hardcore, full-time over thinker, naturally I am reflecting on my life, what it feels like to be alive right now, and what happens next. In the span of 2017-2020, my husband and I lost many friends, family, and acquaintances to "deaths of despair," suicides and drug overdoses. And every time we learned that another amazing person was gone, we sadly nodded our heads and said "I get it." Because it felt like hope was in short supply, like there was no light to be found. We got through it by sort of keeping out heads down, clinging to one another, and working really, really hard to find any shred of joy.

The moment we are in right now feels 100 times darker than any other era in my lifetime. Yet, there is something else happening that was absent in the past: I see that we are changing. Rather than putting our heads down and powering through it, we are lifting our heads up, looking squarely in the eyes of the other people around us. We are extending a hand to one another, saying "nice to meet you, I'm here to help." We finally realize the importance of community and our roles within it. We see that nothing gets better for anyone without all of us getting involved. We know that we all have a part to play in the fight for a better world. We recognize that we are unstoppable when we work together...and that's why the worst people, companies, and systems would prefer that we spend our days tearing one another apart on social media.

We understand that for years we have been sold this idea that we should aspire to have as much stuff as possible...and that life was a competition to see who could have the most stuff, the most expensive clothes/food/trips/lifestyle, and the most curated social media page....and it turns out that all of that just lines billionaires’ pockets, leaving us broke, unsatisfied, and lonely. We know that what we buy and where we spend our money has a massive impact on the planet and the people around us. So we're doing our best to shop small and local. We realize that the all of life’s magic, hope, and joy...that comes from the people, animals, and world around us. And we are here to fight for that.

If you know me IRL or have been following me for a long time, you know I've been through some very difficult times. And what I have learned along the way is that the only way out of darkness is through it. The good news about the darkness we are collectively experiencing right now? We don't have to get through it alone. We have one another. We can share a flashlight and take turns guiding and reassuring one another. We can hold hands through the scariest, darkest parts. We can get through it together. I am not a spiritual person, but I found hope, faith, and meaning in the people around me. In our ability to build, create, and innovate. In the unmatchable power we have when we all work together toward a common purpose. I believe in us.

Just some thoughts I've been having as I head into the weekend of my birthday. SPOILER: I'm thinking a lot about the power of community, care, and joy in very, VERY dark times.

What is recycled polyester?

Recycled polyester (rPET) fabric is made from other recycled plastics, not recycled polyester clothing. And unsurprisingly, it gets a lot of greenwashing!

open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

A vintage illustration of three paper dolls with the copy "Polyester, a master of disguise"

We tend to think of the 60s/70s as the peak era of polyester clothing, but roughly 2/3 of the clothing being made RIGHT NOW is polyester. It can be hard to spot because it takes many different forms.
Learn more in part two of an ongoing fabric series:

open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Big brands are not your friends. How emotional branding gets us to open our wallets and settle for less.

Big brands are not your friends. This summer, I am releasing a series of episodes unpacking how brands entangle themselves with us emotionally.

open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Thank you!

An illustration of 1970s paper dolls with the heading "Surprise! It's plastic." A sticker says "Synthetic Fabrics, part one."

Part 1 in a weekly series about fabrics that I am sharing on Substack: open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

You know what’s truly radical in a world of capitalism, climate crisis, inequality, and rising fascism? Working together and supporting one another.

When you realize that Princess Polly (fast fashion brand), Nespresso (owned by Nestle), and Arbonne (MLM) are all certified B Corps, it kinda makes you wonder if SHEIN and Temu are writing a big check for their certification right now.

"I'm with the brand," part one A new podcast miniseries about brands and how they infiltrate our brains.

For years, I have been wanting to do a series of episodes about how brands infiltrate our brains and drive consumerism. So this summer, I'm doing it! Part one is out in the world right now.

substack.com/@clotheshors...

Is it true...or is it clickbait? Tips for distinguishing fact from fiction on social media

Share cute cat photos, not misinformation!
clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/is-it-true...

No, France did NOT ban SHEIN hauls! Sometimes good news is misinformation, too.

There is a viral post making the rounds claiming that France banned SHEIN hauls. That's actually FALSE, but it's a good time discuss the reality of fast fashion legislation...while also reminding us that we should fact check posts (it takes less than a minute).

open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Five years happened way too fast How making Clotheshorse has given me a joy, hope, and community

Just some thougts on five years of making a anti-consumerism, pro slow fashion podcast...
clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/five-years...

Is there really no ethical consumption under capitalism? Can't wait for the SHEIN tee with that slogan...

Next week marks 5 years of making Clotheshorse, and one thing I've noticed is that the excuses for shopping fast fashion never really change. Last year I made a whole episode about "there's no ethical consumption under capitalism." Here's a summary: open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

A poster for a short tour for Clotheshorse, a podcast hosted by Amanda Lee McCarty. A white horse leaps through a rainbow heart, with a forest of tall evergreen trees in the background. The copy shares the tour dates: 10/23 in Seattle, WA at the Here-After, and 10/26 in Portland, OR at Holocene.

BIG NEWS! Clotheshorse is coming to the West Coast in October, and I’m doing two live shows:

🐴 Thursday, October 23, Seattle WA at Here-After
🐴 Sunday, October 26, Portland, OR at Holocene

TICKETS GO ON SALE ON FRIDAY AT 10 AM PACIFIC!! I will share the links on Friday!

A vintage photo of two tabby kittens with the copy NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL.

Two fluffy kittens with a protest sign that says JUSTICE FOR ONE IS JUSTICE FOR ALL.

A trio of tabby kittens with a protest sign that says END THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT NOW!

A trio of orange kittens holding a protest sign with a photo of two tabby kittens and the worlds NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL.

I love seeing Clotheshorse stickers on sewing machines!!

"Retail therapy" is not therapy Sad news for people who shop when they are sad

Retail therapy is NOT therapy.
open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Don't give your money to [insert your favorite curse word)! How it is an important part of the slow fashion way of life...

Seriously, stop buying stuff from bad people.

clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/dont-give-...

A vintage photo of two baby donkeys. One is saying "All of my favorite clothes are secondhand." The other one says, "Samesies."

It's really true! All of my favorite clothes ARE secondhand!

A billboard in front of a foggy mountain view. The billboard has two kittens on it and it reads "Imagine sacrificing humanity for cheap clothes."

My mood today.

Thanks for listening!