Clotheshorse Episode 183: "REWIND: Why New Sweaters Are Kinda Garbage"

Host: Amanda Lee McCarty (she/they)
Guest: Dani (she/her) of Picnicwear
Date: October 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Clotheshorse dives deep into the declining quality of new sweaters, unraveling the layers of fast fashion, synthetic fibers, marketing, and consumer culture that have led us to a world where “sweaters are kinda garbage.” Amanda is joined by Dani, founder of Picnicwear, sweater designer, and slow fashion advocate. Together, they blend insider industry knowledge and personal experience to explore:

• Why sweater quality has eroded
• How design and buying processes breed "future garbage"
• What truly makes a sweater “luxury"
• Why simple answers ("just buy natural fibers") miss the mark
• Practical guidance for spotting quality sweaters
• The toll and triumphs of slow fashion advocacy

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Talk About Sweaters Now?

[00:18–11:37]

• Amanda and Dani reconnect after two years to address a surge of discourse (especially on TikTok and Reddit) lamenting clothing quality—especially sweaters.
• Recent Amanda Mull article (“You, Sweaters Are Garbage,” The Atlantic) sparked widespread interest.
• The sense that the public is finally hitting a “tipping point” in noticing the downgrading of clothing quality.
• “Clothes have been crappy for a long time,” says Amanda; the industry’s been waiting for customers to object.

2. Industry Real Talk: Trends vs. Timelessness

[04:32–07:22]

• Both note they seldom buy new clothes because what’s old but well-loved outlasts trend-driven items.
• "It’s the ones that were most attached to a trend at the time, that I ended up...selling on Poshmark or something." —Amanda [06:52]
• Stability in sweater design: despite trend cycles, the actual silhouettes and types haven’t changed much. Only materials and quality have.

3. Why Sweaters (and All Clothes) Got Worse

[10:32–28:50]

• Quality decline is the result of a relentless push for lower prices, leading to swapping out skilled labor and good materials for cheaper, synthetic alternatives.
• Price tag doesn’t indicate true quality. Expensive sweaters can be just as “garbage” as cheap ones—sometimes the markup just reflects better marketing, not better product.
• Memorable Quote: “You cannot spot quality, or lack thereof, by the price tag, because plenty of things that are expensive are the same as the lower price stuff. That’s part of their branding—that somehow their stuff is exceptional. And it’s not.” —Amanda [15:20]

4. The “Yum Factor” and Fiber Fakery

[29:18–39:22]

• Sweaters are often chosen for their sensory feel (“Hand feel wins every time”).
• Buyers and designers pass around samples, describing plastic-laden, synthetic yarns as “yummy,” “luxurious,” or “expensive-feeling,” even though it’s “basically plastic.”
• Memorable Moment: “You haven't lived until you’ve seen a bunch of adults sit around a table, passing around swatches, going ‘mmm, yummy, yum.’ … You’re like, y’all are rubbing plastic. … Oh, so good.” —Amanda [29:47]
• Even “luxury” sweaters are often made of polyester or acrylic blends.

5. Customer Blame and the Polyester Predicament

[31:26–39:22]

• Designers attempt to use more wool or natural fibers, but customers often reject them as “scratchy.”
• Plastic fibers are preferred for softness, loft, and low cost—what most shoppers implicitly “vote” for.
• Polyester is in ~65–70% of modern clothing; in sweaters, other synthetics like polyamide, nylon, and acrylic are often main ingredients.

6. Manufacturing Tricks and The Decline Spiral

[62:11–91:28]

• Insightful breakdown of how a promising, well-designed sample is continually “diluted” to hit price targets:
  • Swapping in cheaper yarns
  • Loosening knit tension (“lighter, loftier”—but more likely to pill or snag)
  • Removing details, reducing length, cropping sleeves, or turning styles into vests
  • Manufacturers chasing lower duties by tweaking fiber content
• “You do this for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, and suddenly the sweaters that you get to buy are extra crappy because they are like a dilution of a dilution of a dilution.” —Amanda [90:58]

7. Trends: Born of Budget, Not Just Style

[83:06–85:58]

• Many “trends” emerge simply because they are cheaper to manufacture (e.g., sweater vests, cropped styles, sheer fabrics).
• “Do the trends start with the people, or do they start in the buying offices with what we can afford?” —Amanda [83:39]

8. No Magic Fiber, No Magic Fix

[46:09–56:03]

• Switching everything to “natural fibers” is not a panacea—would create new environmental crises (land, water, labor abuse).
• Increase in demand for natural materials would worsen labor conditions globally and still not justify current consumption rates.
• Quote to Remember: “There’s no magic fiber or fabric that lets us overconsume without repercussion. It all has a catch.” —Amanda [47:56]

9. The Real Solution: Buy Less, Buy Better

[97:37–118:42]

• Step 1: Ask yourself, “Do I really need a new sweater? How many do you truly need?”
• Step 2: When shopping, inspect the fiber content label (required by law), turn the garment inside out, scrutinize seams and construction.
• Reminder: Price is not a sure sign of quality. Higher prices often mean fancier marketing, not better clothes.
• Seek pieces that excite you for years—future vintage, not future garbage.

10. How to Spot Quality Sweaters

[97:37–104:52]

• Check the content label: if it’s a dense stew of synthetics (polyamide, acrylic, polyester) with trace amounts of wool or “alpaca," be wary.
• Don’t be fooled by greenwashing buzzwords (“responsible,” “conscious wool,” “imported”)—these are often used to make synthetic blends sound ethical.
• Look for mono-materials; multi-fiber blends are nearly impossible to recycle.

11. Supporting Slow Fashion & Small Business

[53:23–61:06], [130:34–135:29]

• Running indie slow-fashion brands is difficult, emotionally demanding, and rarely profitable.
• If you value small, ethical, local makers, support them with purchases or amplify their work.
• “Your small business owner friends are suffering, are really, really having a hard time. So if you’ve ever said ‘support small business,’ you gotta actually show your support every once in a while.” —Dani [56:05]
• Dani’s Picnicwear sweaters: 100% cotton, made from upcycled deadstock doll factory yarn—thoughtfully sourced, vibrantly colored, and designed for a long life.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Customers and Fiber Feel
  “Customers think they want wool, they want alpaca, they want natural fibers, but that is not actually what they will buy.” —Amanda [31:03]
• On Marketing Over Substance
  “You’re paying for that in that $29 garment. There doesn’t have to be much difference between the products themselves because you’re paying for other things too.” —Dani [14:23]
• On Trend Cycles and Shelf Life
  “If you do this for 5, 10, 20 years, suddenly the sweaters you get to buy are extra crappy because they’re a dilution of a dilution of a dilution.” —Amanda [90:58]
• On Greenwashing
  “What the fuck does ‘responsible’ mean? ...I’m responsible for doing the dishes in my house. That doesn’t make me...good at doing dishes.” —Dani [106:18]
• On Industry Burnout
  “I’m so tired of seeing small businesses, small shops, makers...say, like, sorry, I can’t do it anymore. It is so, so sad to me.” —Dani [56:05]

Practical Tips for Listeners

[97:45 onwards]

• Educate Yourself:
  Turn garments inside out—examine seams, finishes, and fiber content labels.
• Be Skeptical:
  Don’t trust price or marketing language (“responsible,” “imported,” “luxury”) as signs of real quality.
• Mono-Materials Matter:
  The fewer different fibers, the more recyclable—blends are landfill-bound.
• Buy Less, Buy Thoughtfully:
  Focus on well-made, timeless pieces you truly love—future vintage, not “future garbage.”
• Care Tips:
  Wash sweaters infrequently, by hand if possible, and always lay flat to dry.
• Support Small, Ethical Brands:
  Consider purchases from makers like Picnicwear; share and amplify their work even if you can't afford to buy immediately.

Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:18–11:37: Setting the stage—why sweaters are bad, and why people are noticing now.
• 31:03–39:22: The “Yum Factor” and how synthetic yarns seduced buyers and customers alike.
• 62:11–91:28: In-depth look at sample reviews, dilution, duties, and how trends are born from cost-cutting.
• 97:45–118:42: Step-by-step guidance on shopping for sweaters, with real-world examples.
• 130:34–135:29: Dani and Amanda on the importance (and exhaustion) of community and slow fashion advocacy.
• 120:06–127:04: Picnicwear’s sweater collection: cotton, color, and creative constraint.

Final Thoughts

Clotheshorse’s takedown of “garbage sweaters” is ultimately a call to meaningful, educated engagement with our clothes, the people who make them, and with the Earth. There’s no magic fiber and no shortcut to a better fashion industry—other than buying less, caring more, and supporting the people making a real difference.

Find Dani’s work: @picnicwear on Instagram
Follow Amanda & join the Clotheshorse community: @clotheshorsepodcast

“Your money is as powerful as your vote!” – Amanda