Episode 14: Leisure Suits, Chemistry, and Hemp: Let's talk about fabric

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 break it all down for us. Janelle is one half of All Roads Design, but before she lived every fashion professional's dream of leaving the industry/doing something rad, she worked in fabric sourcing and development. She will shed some light on the primary fabrics being used right now, explain how fabric is sourced by major brands, and share her feelings about the future of the industry. Also: she shares her love of hemp. And no, she's not a stoner.

Amanda has a mini special report on the history of polyester (hint: there is a lot of science). And we can't talk about synthetic fabrics without getting into about MICROPLASTICS, right? Learn more about different filter options for your laundry here.

We are working on an upcoming series of episodes about retail workers, their struggles, and their fight for fair wages and better conditions. If you have worked retail, we would like to hear your stories! Basically, collecting your stories will help us frame out what we need to research and discuss. You can either send your stories via email to clotheshorsepodcast@gmail.com or via instagram where you’ll find us @clotheshorsepodcast If writing isn’t your thing, you can also send us a voice memo recorded on your phone or computer! It can be as confidential and anonymous as you want it to be.

Please don't forget to check out The Department, hosted by Amanda and Kim. It's about trends, taste, and products. It gets pretty weird sometimes!