Many were sent from West Africa to the American South via England. There, they grew cotton and increased their exports to Europe.
As cotton clothing became more affordable in Europe, the concept of fashion (mode) on an industrial scale gradually became popular. More and more people began to see "fashion," which had been reserved for the wealthy, as something they could afford.
Cotton was known as the white gold nugget. The popularization of its products creates further demand for cotton.
French, German, Belgian, Portuguese, and other colonizers of Africa began to cultivate cotton not only in West African countries, but also in colonies in Andorra, Congo, and Mozambique.
Africa became the scene of a wealth offensive by the powerful nations. In the background, there was a strong expectation to import cotton more cheaply than in the southern United States. At the time, Great Britain was in an overwhelmingly dominant position, and other European countries were lagging behind.
The new demands brought about by the popularization of fashion choose cruel means in search of new sources of supply.
First and foremost, the fields that produced vegetables and fruits, which were the food of the local people, were turned into cotton fields. People who had made their living by raising livestock also decided to only grow cotton. The traditional African way of life was destroyed by the cotton crop.
Forced labor in African countries, which was "kill or be killed," led to the expansion of low-cost cotton cultivation, thus creating a system that enabled cotton products to sell well in the European market.
(This forced cultivation of a single crop is considered one of the reasons why African countries are still unable to solve their poverty problems today.)