Cotton: Companies, Fashion and the Fabric of our Lives

Cotton has been part of the human experience since ancient times, as fiber, yarn, textile, garment, and much more. Join us for a book talk about the world of cotton and how it became the “fabric of our lives.”

Tasha Lewis, editor of Cotton (Intellect Ltd.), will discuss the importance of this major resource for fashion businesses, the integrity of the industry, and the evolution of fashion design in the United States.  Her book is based on an investigative research project that deployed undergraduate and graduate students, faculty researchers and businesses that rely on cotton to make their garments. The project gave them a better understanding of how this key resource is sourced, priced, transported, manipulated, and then sold to the consumer.

Lewis will discuss the role of brands in the marketing of goods, and the importance of the “Made in the USA” campaign, with its appeal to consumers concerned about local employment and social responsibility.

Tasha Lewis is an assistant professor in the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University where she teaches in the area of fashion design management. Her research interests include the disruptive impact of technology in the apparel industry, the behavior of fashion brands, global and domestic apparel production, and social responsibility and sustainability in the apparel supply chain. Coeditors of the book are Joseph Hancock, professor at Drexel University, and Nioka Wyatt, associate professor at Philadelphia University.

Buffalo Street Books will offer books for purchase and signing. Light refreshments served.

The Chats in the Stacks book talk series at Mann Library is supported by the Mary A. Morrison Public Education Fund.