Case study - Deshi Dosh: the case on integration of ten rivals in the fashion industry of Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh, a developing nation in South Asia, has been striving to achieve self-containment through the readymade garments sector for the last three decades. Currently, it is one of the leading readymade garments exporters of the world. However, apart from producing export quality garment products, the country has been working for promoting and sustaining the local culture and tradition through the attires of its people. Focusing on culture and tradition in the center of fashion, a number of Bangladeshi fashion houses started a revolutionary journey known as ‘Deshi Dosh.’ The main focus of the paper is to explore how a group of fashion houses operating under a unified corporate identity achieves competitive advantage in the developing country context. Theoretically, the concepts of social networks and competitive advantage have been incorporated to unfold the context. The paper finds that social ties embedded in competitors ties have led to the creation of competitive advantage in the fashion industry.