One Dress, Three Continents: Globalization at the local market

On display at the Riva del Garda market

Last New Year's, I was in Guatemala, traveling from Lake Atitlan to Guatemala City. We made a pit stop at a roadside restaurant, and encountered a delightful little shop selling everything from swim cover-ups to hoodies and tools to toys. I saw a cover-up make of linen and trimmed with crocheted "Afghan" squares that reminded me of my grandmother and my friend's grandmother. It was adorable. It was $20. It was mine!

In July, I was in southern France with my friend Linda. We were spending the better part of a week with her family, on the water. I told her about my delightful Guatemalan cover-up. The next morning, before we'd been to the beach, we went to the splendid marche in St. Tropez. It is quite large -- about 1 1/2 blocks crowded with vendors large and small. We split up, because everyone had different treasures to look for. After an hour, we met up. Linda pulled a cover-up out of her bag and asked, "is this what your Guatemalan cover-up looks like?"

Linda and I in our matching market dresses

What?! How could it be? How could the same dress be in a tiny roadside in Guatemala and the hallowed stalls of St. Tropez? We looked inside the dress and found a tag -- "Made in China". Of course. (The tag in my dress had been removed before it was on display.)

As a write this, I am in northern Italy, in a small town on Lake Garda. Yesterday was market day. I went to see what treasures the vendors had to offer. Sure enough, I found my "Guatemalan" dress. 

The vendors at the Riva del Garda market did not even attempt to distinguish themselves from one another. They sold literally the same things as the vendors on either side of them -- linen dresses of the same cut and floral designs, denim jackets trimmed with identical rhinestones, and lots of underwear (that's just weird). 

I'm not sure what all of this means. At a minimum, a few things are clear: Global trade is alive and well. Cheap goods travel from China to all corners of the world. Truly local and artisanal handiwork can be hard to find (and deliver a profit to the artisan).

The street markets of the world can be a nice diversion, but buyer beware -- the market may not provide local treasures.