This study investigated the comparative advantages of the Bangladeshi and Vietnamese apparel industries using Global Value Chain (GVC) framework. In this study, the GVC framework was expanded to include social and environmental sustainability issues. Secondary data, for the 2012 -2013 period, were collected and analyzed for each component of the apparel GVC. The findings indicated that while both countries have unique comparative advantages, Vietnam clearly emerged as a leader on many GVC components. Bangladesh's comparative advantage lies in lower wages, producing high volume orders, and lean manufacturing. In spite of Vietnam's higher labor costs, it has comparative advantages in higher productivity, skilled and trained workers, manufacturing of intricate styles of high quality, agility and flexible manufacturing, more developed infrastructure and logistic services as well as greater social and environmental compliances. This study contributes towards insight into best sourcing fit for fashion brand business models. Based on the findings, fashion driven companies offering more complex styles at a faster rate will benefit from choosing Vietnam. In contrast, Bangladesh might be a better choice for high volume driven companies that offer basic apparel and better value for their consumers. From theoretical perspective, the research makes an important contribution by expanding the GVC framework.

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Introduction: Festivals are public events held during a certain time period in a specific location (Wilson, Arshed, Shaw and Pret, 2017). Most commonly, they focus on a theme pertaining to the arts, a culture, or a region that appeals to prospective attendees (Johansson and Toraldo, 2015). Festivals generally include a variety of vendors selling merchandise and interacting with customers. This channel can allow companies to increase their revenue stream by selling and marketing their products in a unique retail environment.Previous research has primarily explored the economic and social impacts of festivals on local and regional communities (Kim, Han and Chan, 2008;Litvin, Pan and Smith, 2013). Studies focused on festival visitors have investigated motivations to attend (Way & Robertson, 2013), shopping behavior (Kelly and Robertson, 2014), and willingness to pay for merchandise in a festival setting (Dodds, Jenkins, Smith and Pitts, 2018). However, research studying festival exhibitors, specifically festival apparel vendors, is limited (Wilson et al., 2017) and warrants more exploration. The purpose of this study was to examine one apparel company's experience with vending at festivals and provide insight into the challenges and opportunities of selling apparel at festivals. Case Company:The case company of this study is Unalome Designs, identified with permission of the company's co-owners (K and M). Unalome is a Rhode Island-based women's clothing company, making sustainable, hand-and natural-dyed apparel aimed at "gorgeous goddesscustomers" (Unalome, n.d.). They have an e-commerce website, but their primary retail channel is music festivals. In vending through this unique outlet, the stakeholders had much success but also faced many complications.Method: To thoroughly examine the unique issues surrounding Unalome Designs, a case study method approach was selected as the best fit (Creswell, 2007). Data was gathered through multiple sources, including in-depth interviews with the co-owners over a two-year period, the company website and social media accounts, and festival documents. Interview transcripts were read and analyzed by both researchers, first independently and then together, negotiating all disagreements until consensus was reached. Through data analysis, reliance on festivals as a retail channel was uncovered as one "key issue … for understanding the complexity of the case" (Creswell, 2007, p. 75). Subthemes relating to the opportunities and challenges of retailing at festivals are addressed in the next section.