PROMPT ALERT: Our next hotline prompt is about people pleasing. Do you have a history of people pleasing? If so, when did you realize it? What have you done to remedy it? What does people pleasing bring up for you? There are no wrong answers here. Record a voice memo of your answer and email it to: hi@creativityinthetimeofcapitalism.com and it will be included in our next hotline episode at the end of this cycle.

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Calling all sustainable fashion fans! This week on Creativity in the Time of Capitalism we are joined by fast fashion buyer turned activist, consultant, and podcast host, Amanda McCarty. Their podcast, Closehorse, is a masterclass on what actually goes on in the opaque underbelly of the fashion industry. Amanda is also especially gifted at reminding us all that with every purchase, we shop with our dollars, and in this way,

We have the means to deploy ethical consumption under capitalism. Amanda spent close to two decades inside the fast fashion machine, working as a buyer for major brands and startups alike, helping companies like Urban Outfitters decide what clothes we'd obsess over for a few wares and then quietly discard. Behind the glossy campaigns, they witnessed the burnout, the cutting of corners, the sad desk salads, and the emotional dysregulation that set the tone for far too many workplaces. For Amanda, as their awareness grew that so much of what they were helping to bring into the world would ultimately end up in landfills, so did their disillusionment with the fashion industry as a whole. When the pandemic hit, they were laid off from their role as the original buyer at the recently launched apparel rental company, Nuuly.

What had felt like a crisis at the time ultimately cracked open the possibility of a very different way of working, one that would disrupt Amanda's entire career trajectory up to that point. In this episode, Amanda shares how losing that job forced them to reckon with a lifetime of scarcity thinking, the belief that work was only about survival, and their deep disillusionment with an industry that had never felt like home.

To go behind the episode and to learn more about this project, visit the Creativity in the Time of Capitalism newsletter for bonus content and more

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Thanks so much and onto the show.

For around $1 a week for annual subscribers you can receive more conversations like this (and and without ads!). I hope you enjoy this preview and if you'd like to learn more, you can visit CreativityInTheTimeOfCapitalism.com.

Thanks so much and onto the show.

If you missed part one, please pause here and give that a listen first. Today we resume at the cliffhanger Lauren left us with regarding the rollout of her brand’s national launch at Whole Foods.

In this two part interview, we will uncover Lauren’s origin story, what led her to both herbalism and entrepreneurship, and what the transition from an idyllic workshop in the woods to a supermarket mainstay felt like for the woman at the helm. Lauren also discusses with candor and clarity the kinds of experiences that founders rarely share: how simple miscalculations can lead to five figure losses, and how her dedication to wellness goes beyond tinctures, but to nonnegotiables about her quality of life. This first episode will set the stage for a part two that you will absolutely not want to miss.

“My work and my life are intrinsically linked by an ethos. Everything I create is born out of a set of values I hold, namely trying to put good out into the world.”

—Zoë Ghertner

Sara defines good design as something inseparable from consideration for people, the planet, and its resources. In this way, she cultivated a path for herself and her collaborators that saw profit as a means to create dignified, consistent employment and fuel for future collaborations that prioritized cultural preservation and locally sourced materials. 

Learn more about Sara’s experience at the helm of MINNA, why she made the decision to close, as well as what she is up to today, a new project called Portals.

I’m very excited to introduce you to my next guest, Christa Clark. She is a multidisciplinary designer with a background in UX (user experience) who stepped away from the corporate sphere to focus on issues that affect her immediate community—from food scarcity and mutual aid to textile recycling and circular economies. Christa is currently been working on several projects, including Material Union, an in-development a textile recycling facility and community resource center that has the potential to create a replicable model for use across the USA where textile recycling infrastructure is sorely lacking (currently 85% of all textiles end up in landfills).

Christa reminds us that when the macro feels as dire as it does right now, one of the most liberating things that we can do is to dig deeper into our local communities, forming networks of resilience and mutual aid—something that is rooted in dignity and community, not charity or systems that uphold disparity.

My hope with today’s conversation is that everyone can walk away with a bit of hope, license to act, and curiosity. And perhaps a few ways to reframe regular day-to-day decisions—changing the dial just ever so slightly to bring in more empowerment, optimism, collaboration, and engagement with our local communities.

Please visit the Creativity in the Time of Capitalism Substack to learn more and for episode resources. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Christa Clark

Mutual aid

UX/UI design

ATX Free Fridge

Food waste

Redistribution of resources

Material Union

Textile Recycling

Free Fridges 

Apparel waste

Upcycling

Circular economies

This week, we're going to go further into Shana's journey with In God We Trust, including what those last years looked like, the shifts in her personal life that cracked open a new perspective, and the less obvious driving force behind Shana’s creative business. But perhaps even more than that, we're going to move forward with Shana to where finds herself now. She's spent these past few years in deep consideration of those nearly two decades of running her business—what it looked and felt like on the inside, and not just the outside, what the unconscious motivators were behind some of her decision-making, what she wished she had known then, but is grateful to know now—essentially all of the things that can only be known in hindsight. There are some really key points and interrogations here that will be truly worthwhile for any creative entrepreneur, no matter where you find yourself in your journey.

IGWT specialized in women's and men's apparel, jewelry and accessories. Walking into any one of those spaces was like walking into another world. Tabor’s storefronts were beautifully and holistically merchandised—creating a complete environment through everything from the brand’s aesthetic and even sewn in labels, to the shop fixtures and old Americana touches. Shana also opened up her own production facility right in Brooklyn and trained many aspiring jewelry and fashion designers along the way. The period of time that IGWT existed saw wild changes in the independent fashion space, like the advent of social media, a couple of recessions, COVID, and more. I'm truly so honored to be able to share Shana's story now and to give her the space to share it in her own words. She has been reflecting on her time running In God We Trust over the past few years and the insights that she has gleaned are utterly poignant, some a true punch in the gut, others gentle reminders for all creatives. This will be the longest set of interviews that I've published on creativity in the time of capitalism to date. And it is wholly deserved in order to give Shana the space to lay out her creative path. So without further ado, let's get started. And my deepest thanks to Shana for the trust with sharing her story.

Kate Lindello, is the founder of the cult-favorite site Noihsaf Bazaar. Noihsaf (“fashion” spelled backward) Bazaar is a resale site that began in the early days of Instagram and has since migrated to its own platform. With a focus on exclusively independent designer lines (think Ilana Kohn, Jesse Kamm, Ace & Jig, and Raquel Allegra), Kate created a space that solidified the value of apparel produced outside of mainstream fashion through its second life. 

Kate began the project as a balm to postpartum depression, seeking connection and community by sharing personal listings on Instagram that came directly from her own closet.

This is a recorded phone call between myself and Kate and I that was originally intended only for transcription purposes, and we’ve cleaned it up as much as possible for our listeners. A special thank you to Kate for allowing me to share this off the record conversation. 

When we left off, Bec had just shared where she found herself after spending three years developing and ultimately releasing her sustainable hair care product under her label Winden. After prioritizing the most sustainable choices possible for the manufacturing and packaging of her new shampoo bar, she ultimately found herself facing the unsustainable financial reality of those choices. We also learn more about her experiences translating Winden to the fundraising and start-up world, and the realities of relocating her business from NYC to Sante Fe, NM. Finally, we discover the surprising place Bec has come to land in her creative and entrepreneurial journey. 

Originally a successful illustrator who began her career creating original works for The New Yorker and The New York Times among others, Ilana brought her love of color and graphics to her collection of effortlessly silhouetted and comfort-driven daily wear essentials. Kohn’s label is one quickly recognized by those in the know, with a cool and easy approach to fit and cut informed by the designer and her team’s perspective rather than the gaze of “capital F” Fashion industry. In the second chapter of our conversation, Ilana gives a rare glimpse behind the curtain at what the reality of operating an independent apparel collection looked like in the post-COVID era.