PODCAST · arts
Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty
by Amanda Lee McCarty
Host Amanda Lee McCarty (she/they) decodes and demystifies the fashion and retail industries, and takes on topics like consumerism, workers rights, personal style, and why fashion is a case study in capitalism gone awry.Your money is as powerful as your vote! "If you wear clothes, you need to listen to Clotheshorse." --Elise"If you are human and live in the world, you need to listen to Clotheshorse." --Individually Wrapped
Episodes
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Episode 264: pLEAsE, no more nostalgia slop (dELiA*s revisited)
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...
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Episode 263: Nostalgia for sale (featuring Esprit)
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…
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Episode 262: How to "background check" a brand (featuring Quince)
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...
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Episode 261: I'm With The Brand (Everlane + Stickergate), part ten
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...
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Episode 260: Your beliefs are your superpower, with Malena of The Slow Era
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...
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Episode 259: I'm With The Brand (pyramids & price tags), part nine
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…
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Episode 258: Let's get hyperlocal, with Sara + Matthew of The York msprint
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...
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Episode 257: There IS (more) ethical consumption under capitalism (part two) with Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green
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…
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Episode 256: There IS (more) ethical consumption under capitalism (part one) with Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green
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...
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Episode 255: I'm With The Brand (the price is right?), part eight
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…
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Episode 254: How (and why) I worked in fast fashion, part 2
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...
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Episode 253: How (and why) I worked in fast fashion, part 1
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…
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Episode 252: Survival is Political, with Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green
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…
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Episode 251: A Japan-isode, part 2
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...
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Episode 250: A Japan-isode, featuring Mr. Dustin Travis White
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...
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Episode 249: I'm With The Brand (in Japan), part seven
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...
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Episode 248: ATTN: Confidential with Maggie Greene
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:...
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Episode 247: Let's build the future we want (LIVE IN PORTLAND)
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...
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Episode 246: Doomerism is boring (LIVE IN SEATTLE!)
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...
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REWIND: Why new sweaters are kinda garbage, with Dani of Picnicwear
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...
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Episode 245: I'm With The Brand (bots in the algorithm), part six
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...
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Episode 244: Mending is a radical act, with Jeanna and Mary
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…
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Episode 243: I'm With The Brand (we, the customers), part five
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…
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Episode 242: I'm With The Brand (Nostalgia, convenience, and hope)
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...
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Episode 241: I'm With The Brand (cause marketing), part three
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…
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Episode 240: I'm With The Brand (emotional branding), part two
This episode is part two in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode: We are going to hopefully answer the question “why might someone get so caught up in a brand that they start fighting with strangers about it on social media?”...
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Episode 239: I'm With The Brand (unpacking how brands influence our brains), part one
This episode is part one in an ongoing series about brands and how they influence our identities and drive consumerism. In this episode: We’re going to break down what brand and branding mean, using fizzy water and boxed macaroni and cheese as examples We will walk through the history of “brands”...
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Episode 238: Five Years of Clotheshorse
In honor of five years of Clotheshorse, Amanda brings back the very first episode of the show (mandatory listening for any one interested in slow fashion), "Romper Drama and Useless Safety Pins, or It's a Cents Game." Before jumping into that episode, Amanda talks about what has changed over the...
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Episode 237: Billionaire Boycott List, with Ariel of Cobbled Goods
Would you be surprised to hear that your favorite shoe brand is neither family-owned nor as punk as it portrays itself to be? Did you know that wealth inequality and shoes are directly connected? Could your latest shoe purchase be subsidizing lobbying efforts to fight a rise in the minimum wage…
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Episode 236: Ripped From the Headlines...
In this episode, Amanda explores and explains a few different topics that are “ripped from the headlines,” including some news submitted from listeners: A recap of Amanda's day at the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting An update on the Fashion Act How boycotts are…
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Episode 235: Reading, Writing, and Hanging out at the mall, with Jane and Molly of Content Queen
This week you are going to meet Molly and Jane of Content Queen, a two-person Bay Area-based zine publisher. And we are going to talk about all kinds of very hot topics (including literally Hot Topic): Why do Jane and Molly make physical zines rather than virtual/online content in 2025? The…
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Episode 234: Who killed Jo-Ann?
What happened to Jo-Ann (the massive fabric/craft store chain)? In many places, it was the only game in town. It had a captive audience. And sewing and mending are on the rise. So Amanda set out to find out who killed Jo-Ann. It’s a lot more complicated than you think! In this episode we take a...
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Episode 233: Making the secondhand economy more equitable, with Valeria of Thryft Ship
A better future for our planet means most people buying secondhand clothing most of the time. Right now we live in a “golden era” of shopping secondhand…if you’re the customer! But the infrastructure as it exists right now for the people doing the work of finding, repairing, cleaning, and selling...
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Episode 232: Wear what you want to wear, with Marlee of Style Me Slowly
Understanding what your personal style and wearing what you want to wear? AMAZING! Not only does it feel great to love your clothes, it's also an essential part of a more sustainable way of life. In this week's episode, Amanda is joined by Marlee of Style Me Slowly to talk about how to find…
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT: Secondhand News (the recurring and always controversial trend of secondhand fashion),Part 4: The 2010s
Amanda is currently googling "fast home remedies for nonstop cough" with a tissue jammed in her nose, so please enjoy part four of this series from The Department about the history of secondhand shopping. This episode was originally released in April 2023. From the original episode description:...
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT: Secondhand News (the recurring and always controversial trend of secondhand fashion), Part 3: The 2000s
Amanda's still coughing and feeling pitiful, so here's part three in a series about the history of secondhand shopping from The Department. This episode was released in April 2023. From the original episode description: Secondhand shopping is having a major moment right now and it isn't without...
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT: Secondhand News (the recurring and always controversial trend of secondhand fashion), Part 2: The 80s and 90s
Amanda is out with the most disgusting cold this week, so here's part two of The Department's series about secondhand shopping! This episode was originally released in April 2023. From the original episode description: Secondhand shopping is having a major moment right now and it isn't without...
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FROM THE DEPARTMENT: Secondhand News (the recurring and always controversial trend of secondhand fashion), part 1
Hi everyone! Dustin brought one souvenir back from his recent tour with his band American Motors: a really gross cold, which I now have the pleasure of experiencing right now. I'm in the constant coughing/lost my voice stage of it this week, so there is no new episode of Clotheshorse. Instead, I...
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Episode 231: This is not a eulogy for Forever 21.
Last month, Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy for the second time. It is planning to close all of its stores in the coming months as it winds down its operations. This is not a eulogy for Forever 21, but it is a deep dive into how one retailer change changed our habits, along with the entire…
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Episode 230: Everything is better with community...fridges, with Christa of Material Union
How can we do good things in difficult times? The seemingly small things we do as individuals are actually really radical, impactful, and important. And if we do these good things with members of our community, they become even more powerful. This week, Christa of Material Union joins us to share...
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Episode 229: Every community needs a Radical Sewing Club, with Scout Quiquivix
How can we do good things in difficult times? The seemingly small things we do as individuals are actually really radical, impactful, and important. And if we do these good things with members of our community, they become even more powerful. In this week's episode, Scout of Radical Sewing Club...
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Episode 228: Thrifty Business with Sara and Shan of Bargain Thrift Center
Over the past few years, we have explored many different facets of the secondhand economy: resellers and the ethics of reselling secondhand items, the various secondhand platforms, the fine art of thrifting, and even where all of the unsold stuff from thrift stores ends up! In this episode we'll...
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Episode 227: How to find accurate news in unprecedented times, with Elizabeth Segran
One of the challenges facing all of concerned citizens is where and how to find accurate and reliable news. This week Amanda is joined by Elizabeth Segran, Senior Staff Writer at Fast Company Magazine. They tackle some very important questions about news, media, and how we can determine what is...
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Episode 226: How To Be Okay
2025 is a lot. Things are kinda overwhelming right now: there’s a lot of news to digest and it's coming fast, it’s hard to suss out reality from fiction, and we don’t know what we can do to help. And so…it’s hard to be okay right now. But it sure is easy to be overwhelmed. Frightened. Angry....
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Episode 225: Slow Fashion & Inclusivity Round Table
This is part four in a continuing series about slow fashion and inclusivity. Amanda is joined by some rad people doing great work making slow fashion more inclusive: Itohan Asemota is the founder of HNI Collective, a Philadelphia-based fashion service agency with a focus on size inclusivity and...
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Episode 224: Slow Fashion & Inclusivity with Itohan and Marlee
This is part three in a continuing series about slow fashion and inclusivity. In this episode you'll meet two people working to get more people into slow fashion and highlight size inclusive ethical brands: Itohan Asemota is the founder of HNI Collective, a Philadelphia-based fashion service…
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Episode 223: Winning the Battle Against Doomerism
Despair. Apathy. Not believing that things can change and be better. Just fully discounting any possibility of progress. Have you struggled with these feelings? It's called doomerism and you're not wrong for feeling that way. In this week's episode, Amanda talks all about doomerism (and how to...
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Episode 222: Capitalism, The (Board) Game
In the final episode of 2024, Amanda is inspired by a conversation with her friend Janelle to explore board games that teach children (and adults) the “winner takes all” aspect of late stage capitalism and/or reinforce the message that success=stuff. We’ll take a journey through the history of...
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Episode 221: Slow Fashion & Inclusivity with Nico and Donnelle
This is part two in a continuing series about slow fashion and inclusivity. In this episode you'll meet two people working to make slow fashion more accessible for more people: Nico Herzetty is the founder and CEO of Phoria, " a platform to help people find what fits their bodies, their style…
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Episode 220: Slow Fashion & Inclusivity with Sushmita of Ethical Fat Fashion
Amanda is joined by Sushmita, the person behind Ethical Fat Fashion, the "coolest fat positive fashion newsletter amplifying ethical size diverse brands.” In this episode--recorded in a karaoke room in Tokyo--Amanda and Sushmita discuss the following: “Sustainable fashion” has an inclusivity...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Host Amanda Lee McCarty (she/they) decodes and demystifies the fashion and retail industries, and takes on topics like consumerism, workers rights, personal style, and why fashion is a case study in capitalism gone awry.Your money is as powerful as your vote! "If you wear clothes, you need to listen to Clotheshorse." --Elise"If you are human and live in the world, you need to listen to Clotheshorse." --Individually Wrapped
HOSTED BY
Amanda Lee McCarty
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty have?
Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty currently has 183 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty about?
Host Amanda Lee McCarty (she/they) decodes and demystifies the fashion and retail industries, and takes on topics like consumerism, workers rights, personal style, and why fashion is a case study in capitalism gone awry.Your money is as powerful as your vote! "If you wear clothes, you need to...
How often does Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty release new episodes?
Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty publishes regularly with 183 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty?
You can listen to Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty?
Clotheshorse with Amanda Lee McCarty is created and hosted by Amanda Lee McCarty.
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