By focusing on the how cotton travels around the world, Pietra Rivoli was able to remove the historical impasse between businesses looking overseas for cheap labor and domestic companies afraid of losing everything to cheap imports due to free trade. In “The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy,” Rivoli explains international trade by detailing the life cycle of a T-shirt, all the way to its end. Rivoli begins her journey in the farms of Texas, then moves to the factories in China, returns to U.S retail stores and ends in Africa. Africa is where apparel is resold and the end of a T-shirt’s life cycle.
She first starts by introducing us to Nelson and Ruth Reinsh, farm owners in Smyer, Texas. In his 87 years, Nelson has missed four cotton
She first starts by introducing us to Nelson and Ruth Reinsh, farm owners in Smyer, Texas. In his 87 years, Nelson has missed four cotton