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

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...

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.

I needed to hear this today.

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!

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...

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.

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...

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. This summer, I am releasing a series of episodes unpacking how brands entangle themselves with us emotionally. open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

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.

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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!

I love seeing Clotheshorse stickers on sewing machines!!

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

Seriously, stop buying stuff from bad people. clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/dont-give-...

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

My mood today.

We need your help getting the Fashion Act passed in NY State. And guess what? You don't need to be a NY resident to help us. It's time to finally regulate the fashion industry! Let's end fast fashion! open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Someone IS getting rich from the secondhand economy, but it's not the people doing most of the work: clotheshorsepodcast.substack.com/p/are-resell...

So…it’s 2025. We’re almost halfway through this year and there are literally so many things happening right now that are scary, tragic, and rage inducing. Yet social media is still full of myths about reselling, thrifting, and who "deserves" secondhand clothes. open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

This image of a SHEIN "sculpture" that has been making the rounds in the sustainable fashion community this week is made with AI. While I appreciate the concept of the work, it's still AI...and that's just neither a sustainable nor ethical way to create art, no matter how good the intentions.

If you’ve ever thought you were too _____ to wear something, these fake “rules” have infiltrated your brain, too. open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Just a reminder that you can and should wear whatever you want to wear!

There's a new episode of the podcast featuring Marlee of Style Me Slowly. We're talking about why understanding what you really want to wear is a very important part of the slow fashion way of life. How would you describe your personal style in 10 words or less?

We all pay for these cheap prices, even if we never bought anything in the first place. The world deserves better than fast fashion. I’m so glad we’re all waking up to that and making changes! Let’s make fast fashion obsolete!!!

I'm trying a new way of sharing my epic posts here, via Substack. So go learn more about how fast fashion has made new clothes kinda garbage! open.substack.com/pub/clothesh...

Every meeting I have had this week has started the same way: "How are you?" "Oh I'm good, how about you?" "Fine." And then all of us admitting: "Yeah, I'm fine except for how I'm drowning in anxiety right now." Anyway, read this letter to all of you that I have been working on all week.

We are not doomed...unless we give up and do nothing. Right now, the worst people, corporations, and systems are counting on us burning out, giving up, and becoming compliant. They think we are weak, selfish, and lazy. Let’s show them how strong we really are!

Years ago, I happened upon a thread that talked about how "cringe" I am, how depressing I am, how pointless my work is. Yes, I cried! Anyway, here's another cringey series of words about why community and care are so important to me

How can we do good things in difficult times? The seemingly small things we do as individuals are actually really radical, impactful, and important. This week, Christa of Material Union joins us to share how her community fridge has changed her life! Mutual aid is powerful!

The most sustainable clothes (and really everything)? Stuff that already exists! And one part of REDUCE REFUSE RESIST (and tbh the entire slow fashion way of life) is shopping secondhand first! Meaning: looking for something secondhand first, before buying it brand new.

I was shocked and disappointed to learn this week that Vancouver Fashion Week is showcasing SHEIN... not as a threat to our planet with its overproduction and ever-growing climate impact. . NOPE....Vancouver Fashion Week is featuring SHEIN as a DESIGNER. Speechless. Seriously. WTF.

New episode of the podcast out today with Scout of Radical Sewing Club! Radical Sewing Club is a weekly mending meetup held in LA. Scout is going to share what they have learned along the way that can help you start your own mending and sewing club in your community!

Just a little reminder that here in the US, it is illegal for your employer to tell you that you are not allowed to discuss your wages with your coworkers. It's also illegal for your employer to take any disciplinary action against you for talking about your pay with coworkers.

Can we please stop using the term "white trash?" As a person who grew up poor (and lived in a trailer, like many members of my extended family), I have had this term thrown at me time and time again to remind me that I am nothing because I am poor. It feels out of touch with progressive values.

WE ARE NOT DOOMED...unless we decide to be doomed. And that applies to EVERYTHING: climate change, plastic pollution, the global rise of fascism. In a time when the worst people/systems want us to give up, resisting is both radical & revolutionary. IMO those are better adjectives than “doomed.”

A good friend was blatantly knocked off by TJ Maxx, so I'm riled up about this today. ★ It's not a "victimless crime." ★ Stealing from artists just widens wealth inequality. ★ Fast fashion everything isn’t doing you a “favor” by creating a cheap knockoff of something you like.

I’m starting a new sort of “tradition” around here: every week I am going to share a reason to feel optimistic. Why am I feeling optimistic this week? Honestly I’m feeling so excited about how many people have been getting involved with boycotts and sticking with it over the past few months.

Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy for the second time this week. 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.