Episode 129: Unpacking The “Textile Recycling” Industry with Jessica

Our surprise circularity miniseries continues! Jessica is many things: a designer, a pattern-maker, an educator, a consultant and a dreamer. She has so much experience in a variety of different areas of the fashion industry, but the primary focus of this episode is the “textile recycling” industry. SPOILER: it’s more of a logistics industry! Follow Jessica on Instagram: @jessitex_

NEW AUDIO ESSAY SERIES!!!
In honor of Clotheshorse’s upcoming TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY(!), let’s share our own sustainability/slow fashion journeys!

  • What made you start to care more about sustainability, particularly in regards to things you wear?

  • What changes were most difficult? What were the easiest?

  • How do you think slow fashion could be more accessible to others?

  • And how do you find yourself making changes on a regular basis? Do you have any tips for others?

Okay, but what is an audio essay?

It’s a recording you make–using either your phone or your computer.

You email it to me at [email protected], and I edit and mix it, and add it to an episode. I will not accept written essays for this.

I recommend that you write it all out, then record it. It’s okay if you make a mistake while recording, just say that part again and keep talking. I’ll edit it when I put it in the episode!

Record in a quiet room, away from fans/air conditioners.

The deadline for this project is July 1, so you have a few weeks to get this done. Your recording should be anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes long.

Have questions/comments/cute animal photos? Reach out via email: [email protected]

Want to support Amanda’s work on Clotheshorse? Learn more at patreon.com/clotheshorsepodcast

Check out the episode transcript!



  • Welcome to Clotheshorse, the podcast that really does love to ride a bike past your house.

    I’m your host Amanda and this is episode 129.

    We’re in the midst of a surprise miniseries about circularity and how it relates to fashion (and really every object in our lives). And today’s guest is Jessica, designer, a pattern-maker, an educator, a consultant and a dreamer. She has so much experience in a variety of different areas of the fashion industry, but the primary focus of our conversation today will be the textile recycling industry. We will also be talking about all the ways the industry has changed during our careers, including sample waste and diminished quality. And so much more! When Jessica and I recorded this conversation I was in the early days of covid, and I became much sicker a few days later. So I couldn’t remember our conversation super well (a few days of fever made everything a blur), but relistening to it as I was editing just made me so happy! So I can’t wait for you to meet her!

    Get ready for abrupt transition in topic…

    When I was 27 years old, I met a person that just impressed me so much, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was a weird time for me emotionally…just four years after my partner had died, a mere four years after my entire life had turned upside down and changed in every possible way. So my heart, my ability to feel that kind of romantic love and excitement…it just hadn’t even come close to feeling anything other than grief for years. I had been going through the motions of working, being a parent, making friends and pretending to be “just fine” for years, but the entire time I expected to look down and see a gaping wound in my chest. I hadn’t felt good about very much for a long time. And my friends, this was an unusual state for me because I was born with a whole lot of romantic notions and a general lust for life and people.

    This person’s name was Brian Eastwood. And I’m going to go ahead and just say that full name to all of you because I doubt he will ever listen to Clotheshorse. You’ll never find him on social media. And if you know him, well then you probably also know me from Portland and you know how obsessed with him I was. And it’s important that I use his full name because that’s how he’s always been filed away in my brain. Never Brian, always Brian Eastwood.

    So yes, I was obsessed. I met him at a bar, he was friends with my best friend Reyna’s boyfriend. He teased me for carrying fruit in my purse. And as we all biked over to his house, he was tossing tiny fireworks along the way, which was both appalling and adorable to me. It is hard to explain all the reasons I liked him–mostly because this podcast does surprisingly have a bit of a time limit, not because I have forgotten them. He had a nice house. We had all of the same records. His cat was named Chococat. He loved tuna melts and cookbooks. See, you’re all thinking “okay, I see why you liked him.” He intentionally misspelled items on his own shopping list in the most ridiculous way for his own amusement. The admiration was mutual, but things made it complicated. He was a lot older than me (I didn’t care). I had a kid (although he never said anything negative about that, it made me nervous about getting serious with anyone). I was still grieving and my feelings were chaotic. His friends tried to sleep with me. We were off and in a way that makes me sad even now. Because he was the first man I had met that felt like an intellectual equal to me. That felt sensitive and sweet in the right ways. But was also super funny. We had this weird thing of showing up separately at events in unplanned matching outfits.

    But as I mentioned, things were messy for no reason and all the reasons. And yet, I couldn’t get him out of my head or my heart. We lived about ten blocks away from one another and I engineered every single bike ride to work, to run errands, to meet friends, to pick up Dylan from day care…every single bike ride that involved passing through SE Portland was mapped by his house. So sometimes I was pedaling past his house 2,3,4 times a day. Not because I wanted to see him, I just wanted to see that he still existed. And so he became a part of my life routine. Those bike rides, thinking about him whenever I wasn’t working or taking care of Dylan or drawing or writing. He was just part of my life.

    When I moved to the other side of the country and could no longer bike by his house every day, we started texting more regularly. I hung out with him every time I was in town. I really wanted to make something happen with him, but I was always too cowardly. Too afraid of things going sideways.

    This went on for years. Years! Every time I would see him or hear about him, my stomach filled with butterflies. The longing was almost excruciating. Even when I was dating someone else or moving to a new city or just really busy with the act of living life. Brian Eastwood was the fantasy world my brain visited in boring work meetings, on transatlantic flights, when I was in bed with a cold, or driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I can assure that I was still there mentally long after everyone–even Brian himself–had assumed that I had moved on.

    Brian Eastwood was woven into the fabric of my everyday existence. He was part of the routines and patterns. After so many years of operating this way, the habit was so deeply ingrained that it no longer felt like a habit. It was just how my life was. It never even occurred to me that it might be unhealthy or a waste of my time.

    But then something happened: I met Dustin. He was kind and loved animals, loved ME. He was my intellectual equal and he felt like family almost instantly. When Dustin proposed to me–that’s a funny and sweet story in itself–the first thing I thought was not “omg planning a wedding is stressful” or “monogamy is scary.” It was “well, I guess Brian Eastwood will never be my boyfriend now.” And that was a weird mental shift to accept. Like this pattern, this mental routine that had lived with me for years and years had to end. I had to reroute my brain’s thinking habits, if that makes sense?

    It is not easy to change your habits, whether it’s your decade-long crush on someone who shares all of your favorite books or the relationship you have with stuff in your life. Changing your go-to behaviors and thought patterns is both terrifying and excruciating.

    And furthermore: knowing that you must change is frightening. I couldn’t keep thinking about Brian Eastwood if I wanted to have a good marriage. There was no way I could set myself up for success without changing my behaviors.

    Even when you know you have to do it, change is still really, really hard.

    And we’re all in a place right now where we must accept that larger change in the world is going to involve change in our own patterns and behaviors. And sure, Amazon does have a bigger impact on the planet and its people than we do as individuals but is its impact still larger than all of us working together in unison? No, it certainly is not.

    Major change will happen if we make a lot of personal changes that will become cultural changes.

    No longer shopping when you’re sad.

    Giving up shopping as a hobby and a social activity.

    Learning how to mend clothing rather than tossing it out.

    Realizing that making better choices will require a little bit more time, thought and effort.

    Skipping out on a new iphone every year.

    Keeping those shoes just a little bit longer.

    Wearing the same dress or suit to every wedding and holiday.

    This is just the beginning of the process, but getting the people around us to make these changes alongside us will have a major impact.

    I guess what I’m doing right now is giving you and myself a pep talk. Because the past few weeks have been really, really hard. Just so much sad and bad news all around us. At times I have felt as if I was living in the worst timeline (with covid as an added bonus) and I wondered how I could escape.

    It’s hard to keep up the fight for something better when it feels as if everything is collapsing around you. When it seems as if the badness in the world is just so much larger than you could ever be.

    Bad and tragic don’t have to win. They will not win. As long as we are standing together, doing what is right, reaching out to others to help them do what is right…we will see things get better. I know it doesn’t always feel that way, but I promise that it is true.

    I’m so grateful for this community–all of you—who push me to do better and better. It’s important to me, even if I’m not biking past your house every day. I don’t have time for that, okay?!

    Believe it or not, next month is Clotheshorse’s two year anniversary! And I have a special audio essay opportunity planned for it! I’ll be sharing that info after my conversation with Jessica. So let’s jump right in!



  • Transcript coming soon!



  • I want to thank Jessica again for spending two hours with me! We will have to have her back again to talk more about the wasteful practices happening in the fashion industry. Like I think we could talk for two more hours about sample waste alone! You can learn more about Jessica at jessitex.com and on instagram @jessitex_ I’l share that info in the show notes!

    Okay one last thing: as I mentioned at the top of the episode, July marks Clotheshorse’s two year anniversary! I can’t believe I’ve been doing this dang thing for two years! And I have a special episode planned to commemorate this auspicious occasion: I’m going to share my own path from fast fashion to Clotheshorse, my own journey if you will! I receive a lot of requests for that! So here you go! And guess what? I want to hear more about your journey, too!

    What made you start to care more about sustainability, particularly in regards to things you wear?

    What changes were most difficult? What were the easiest?

    How do you think slow fashion could be more accessible to others?

    And how do you find yourself making changes on a regular basis? Do you have any tips for others?

    Okay, but what is an audio essay?

    It’s a recording you make–using either your phone or your computer.

    You email it to me at [email protected], and I edit and mix it, and add it to an episode. I will not accept written essays for this.

    I recommend that you write it all out, then record it. It’s okay if you make a mistake while recording, just say that part again and keep talking. I’ll edit it when I put it in the episode!

    Record in a quiet room, away from fans/air conditioners.

    The deadline for this project is July 1, so you have a few weeks to get this done. Your recording should be anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes long.

    The personal is the political…and I can’t wait to hear your stories!

    And with that…thanks for listening to another episode of Clotheshorse!

Clotheshorse is brought to you with support from the following sustainable brands:

Selina Sanders, a social impact brand that specializes in up-cycled clothing, using only reclaimed, vintage or thrifted materials: from tea towels, linens, blankets and quilts. Sustainably crafted in Los Angeles, each piece is designed to last in one’s closet for generations to come. Maximum Style; Minimal Carbon Footprint

Salt Hats: purveyors of truly sustainable hats. Hand blocked, sewn and embellished in Detroit, Michigan.

Republica Unicornia Yarns: Hand-Dyed Yarn and notions for the color-obsessed. Made with love and some swearing in fabulous Atlanta, Georgia by Head Yarn Wench Kathleen. Get ready for rainbows with a side of Giving A Damn! Republica Unicornia is all about making your own magic using small-batch, responsibly sourced, hand-dyed yarns and thoughtfully made notions. Slow fashion all the way down and discover the joy of creating your very own beautiful hand knit, crocheted, or woven pieces. Find us on Instagram @republica_unicornia_yarns and at www.republicaunicornia.com.

Gentle Vibes: We are purveyors of polyester and psychedelic relics! We encourage experimentation and play not only in your wardrobe, but in your home, too. We have thousands of killer vintage pieces ready for their next adventure!


Picnicwear: a slow fashion brand, ethically made by hand from vintage and deadstock materials – most notably, vintage towels! Founder, Dani, has worked in the industry as a fashion designer for over 10 years, but started Picnicwear in response to her dissatisfaction with the industry’s shortcomings. Picnicwear recently moved to rural North Carolina where all their clothing and accessories are now designed and cut, but the majority of their sewing is done by skilled garment workers in NYC. Their customers take comfort in knowing that all their sewists are paid well above NYC minimum wage. Picnicwear offers minimal waste and maximum authenticity: Future Vintage over future garbage.


Shift Clothing, out of beautiful Astoria, Oregon, with a focus on natural fibers, simple hardworking designs, and putting fat people first. Discover more at shiftwheeler.com


High Energy Vintage is a fun and funky vintage shop located in Somerville, MA, just a few minutes away from downtown Boston. They offer a highly curated selection of bright and colorful clothing and accessories from the 1940s-1990s for people of all genders. Husband-and-wife duo Wiley & Jessamy handpick each piece for quality and style, with a focus on pieces that transcend trends and will find a home in your closet for many years to come! In addition to clothing, the shop also features a large selection of vintage vinyl and old school video games. Find them on instagram @ highenergyvintage, online at highenergyvintage.com, and at markets in and around Boston.

Blank Cass, or Blanket Coats by Cass, is focused on restoring, renewing, and reviving the history held within vintage and heirloom textiles. By embodying and transferring the love, craft, and energy that is original to each vintage textile into a new garment, I hope we can reteach ourselves to care for and mend what we have and make it last. Blank Cass lives on Instagram @blank_cass and a website will be launched soon at blankcass.com.

St. Evens is an NYC-based vintage shop that is dedicated to bringing you those special pieces you’ll reach for again and again. More than just a store, St. Evens is dedicated to sharing the stories and history behind the garments. 10% of all sales are donated to a different charitable organization each month. For the month of April, St. Evens is supporting United Farm Worker’s Foundation. New vintage is released every Thursday at wearStEvens.com, with previews of new pieces and more brought to you on Instagram at @wear_st.evens.


Located in Whistler, Canada, Velvet Underground is a “velvet jungle” full of vintage and second-hand clothes, plants, a vegan cafe and lots of rad products from other small sustainable businesses. Our mission is to create a brand and community dedicated to promoting self-expression, as well as educating and inspiring a more sustainable and conscious lifestyle both for the people and the planet.

Find us on Instagram @shop_velvetunderground or online at www.shopvelvetunderground.com

Cute Little Ruin is an online shop dedicated to providing quality vintage and secondhand clothing, vinyl, and home items in a wide range of styles and price points. If it’s ethical and legal, we try to find a new home for it! Vintage style with progressive values. Find us on Instagram at @CuteLittleRuin.


Thumbprint
is Detroit’s only fair trade marketplace, located in the historic Eastern Market. Our small business specializes in products handmade by empowered women in South Africa making a living wage creating things they love like hand painted candles and ceramics! We also carry a curated assortment of sustainable/natural locally made goods. Thumbprint is a great gift destination for both the special people in your life and for yourself! Browse our online store at thumbprintdetroit.com and find us on instagram @thumbprintdetroit.


Country Feedback
is a mom & pop record shop in Tarboro, North Carolina. They specialize in used rock, country, and soul and offer affordable vintage clothing and housewares. Do you have used records you want to sell? Country Feedback wants to buy them! Find us on Instagram @countryfeedbackvintageandvinyl or head downeast and visit our brick and mortar. All are welcome at this inclusive and family-friendly record shop in the country!

Want to Support Amanda's Work on Clotheshorse?

If you want to share your opinion/additional thoughts on the subjects we cover in each episode, feel free to email, whether it’s a typed out message or an audio recording:  [email protected]

Clotheshorse is brought to you with support from the following sustainable small businesses:

Thumbprint is Detroit’s only fair trade marketplace, located in the historic Eastern Market.  Our small business specializes in products handmade by empowered women in South Africa making a living wage creating things they love like hand painted candles and ceramics! We also carry a curated assortment of  sustainable/natural locally made goods. Thumbprint is a great gift destination for both the special people in your life and for yourself! Browse our online store at thumbprintdetroit.com and find us on instagram @thumbprintdetroit.

Picnicwear:  a slow fashion brand, ethically made by hand from vintage and deadstock materials – most notably, vintage towels! Founder, Dani, has worked in the industry as a fashion designer for over 10 years, but started Picnicwear in response to her dissatisfaction with the industry’s shortcomings. Picnicwear recently moved to rural North Carolina where all their clothing and accessories are now designed and cut, but the majority of their sewing is done by skilled garment workers in NYC. Their customers take comfort in knowing that all their sewists are paid well above NYC minimum wage. Picnicwear offers minimal waste and maximum authenticity: Future Vintage over future garbage.

Shift Clothing, out of beautiful Astoria, Oregon, with a focus on natural fibers, simple hardworking designs, and putting fat people first.  Discover more at shiftwheeler.com

High Energy Vintage is a fun and funky vintage shop located in Somerville, MA, just a few minutes away from downtown Boston. They offer a highly curated selection of bright and colorful clothing and accessories from the 1940s-1990s for people of all genders. Husband-and-wife duo Wiley & Jessamy handpick each piece for quality and style, with a focus on pieces that transcend trends and will find a home in your closet for many years to come! In addition to clothing, the shop also features a large selection of vintage vinyl and old school video games. Find them on instagram @ highenergyvintage, online at highenergyvintage.com, and at markets in and around Boston.

St. Evens is an NYC-based vintage shop that is dedicated to bringing you those special pieces you’ll reach for again and again. More than just a store, St. Evens is dedicated to sharing the stories and history behind the garments. 10% of all sales are donated to a different charitable organization each month.  New vintage is released every Thursday at wearStEvens.com, with previews of new pieces and more brought to you on Instagram at @wear_st.evens.

Deco Denim is a startup based out of San Francisco, selling clothing and accessories that are sustainable, gender fluid, size inclusive and high quality–made to last for years to come. Deco Denim is trying to change the way you think about buying clothes. Founder Sarah Mattes wants to empower people to ask important questions like, “Where was this made? Was this garment made ethically? Is this fabric made of plastic? Can this garment be upcycled and if not, can it be recycled?” Signup at decodenim.com to receive $20 off your first purchase. They promise not to spam you and send out no more than 3 emails a month, with 2 of them surrounding education or a personal note from the Founder. Find them on Instagram as @deco.denim.

The Pewter Thimble Is there a little bit of Italy in your soul? Are you an enthusiast of pre-loved decor and accessories? Bring vintage Italian style — and history — into your space with The Pewter Thimble (@thepewterthimble). We source useful and beautiful things, and mend them where needed. We also find gorgeous illustrations, and make them print-worthy. Tarot cards, tea towels and handpicked treasures, available to you from the comfort of your own home. Responsibly sourced from across Rome, lovingly renewed by fairly paid artists and artisans, with something for every budget. Discover more at thepewterthimble.com

Blank Cass, or Blanket Coats by Cass, is focused on restoring, renewing, and reviving the history held within vintage and heirloom textiles. By embodying and transferring the love, craft, and energy that is original to each vintage textile into a new garment, I hope we can reteach ourselves to care for and mend what we have and make it last. Blank Cass lives on Instagram @blank_cass and a website will be launched soon at blankcass.com.

Gabriela Antonas is a visual artist, an upcycler, and a fashion designer, but Gabriela Antonas is also a feminist micro business with radical ideals. She’s the one woman band, trying to help you understand, why slow fashion is what the earth needs. If you find your self in New Orleans, LA, you may buy her ready-to-wear upcycled garments in person at the store “Slow Down” (2855 Magazine St). Slow Down Nola only sells vintage and slow fashion from local designers. Gabriela’s garments are guaranteed to be in stock in person, but they also have a website so you may support this women owned and run business from wherever you are! If you are interested in Gabriela making a one of a kind garment for you DM her on Instagram at @slowfashiongabriela to book a consultation.

Vagabond Vintage DTLV is a vintage clothing, accessories & decor reselling business based in Downtown Las Vegas. Not only do we sell in Las Vegas, but we are also located throughout resale markets in San Francisco as well as at a curated boutique called Lux and Ivy located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jessica, the founder & owner of Vagabond Vintage DTLV, recently opened the first IRL location located in the Arts District of Downtown Las Vegas on August 5th. The shop has a strong emphasis on 60s & 70s garments, single stitch tee shirts & dreamy loungewear. Follow them on instagram, @vagabondvintage.dtlv and keep an eye out for their website coming fall of 2022.

Country Feedback is a mom & pop record shop in Tarboro, North Carolina. They specialize in used rock, country, and soul and offer affordable vintage clothing and housewares. Do you have used records you want to sell? Country Feedback wants to buy them! Find us on Instagram @countryfeedbackvintageandvinyl or head downeast and visit our brick and mortar. All are welcome at this inclusive and family-friendly record shop in the country!

Located in Whistler, Canada, Velvet Underground is a “velvet jungle” full of vintage and second-hand clothes, plants, a vegan cafe and lots of rad products from other small sustainable businesses. Our mission is to create a brand and community dedicated to promoting self-expression, as well as educating and inspiring a more sustainable and conscious lifestyle both for the people and the planet. Find us on Instagram @shop_velvetunderground or online at www.shopvelvetunderground.com

Selina Sanders, a social impact brand that specializes in up-cycled clothing, using only reclaimed, vintage or thrifted materials: from tea towels, linens, blankets and quilts.  Sustainably crafted in Los Angeles, each piece is designed to last in one’s closet for generations to come.  Maximum Style; Minimal Carbon Footprint.

Salt Hats:  purveyors of truly sustainable hats. Hand blocked, sewn and embellished in Detroit, Michigan.

Republica Unicornia Yarns: Hand-Dyed Yarn and notions for the color-obsessed. Made with love and some swearing in fabulous Atlanta, Georgia by Head Yarn Wench Kathleen. Get ready for rainbows with a side of Giving A Damn! Republica Unicornia is all about making your own magic using small-batch, responsibly sourced, hand-dyed yarns and thoughtfully made notions. Slow fashion all the way down and discover the joy of creating your very own beautiful hand knit, crocheted, or woven pieces. Find us on Instagram @republica_unicornia_yarns and at www.republicaunicornia.com.

Cute Little Ruin is an online shop dedicated to providing quality vintage and secondhand clothing, vinyl, and home items in a wide range of styles and price points.  If it’s ethical and legal, we try to find a new home for it!  Vintage style with progressive values.  Find us on Instagram at @CuteLittleRuin.