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East African shoes take centre stage at New York footwear show

Published: 31st Oct 2017

12,000 footwear industry executives from around the world just received a "Discover East Africa" announcement in their inbox (on right). The Hub is raising the profile of East African shoe manufactures to create win-win market linkages with U.S. buyers. Click here to view a catalogue of Hub-supported East African shoe manufactures that are ready for export.

For the past decade, Ethiopia, in particular, has been ramping up its footwear production, opening new factories, training workers, and building the necessary infrastructure to ship goods fast. That's a line from the "Ethiopian Express," a feature in the December 2017 issue of Footwear Plus. Get a sneak preview here. Below, a product line at one of many export-ready Ethiopian footwear manufacturing companies.

Footwear Industry Articles

Obituary: Zelton Wiskin – footwear agent (24/03/1958-24/01/2025) : A ‘well lubricated’ memory
Zelton Wiskin, my friend.I'm sure you won't mind me sharing a fond memory of you with the shoe industry.In the good old days as shoe agents, we became good friends. You were taught by one of the best in the business (Aubrey). In those days we knew how to have fun and entertain our customers who became our friends.My best memory was when w ...more
The future of workers in India’s footwear and apparel factories is uncertain, as growing competition from Shein’s re-entry into India with lower-priced merchandise intensifies
07 January 2025 – Shein, the Chinese fast-fashion brand, is re-entering the Indian market through a partnership with Reliance’s Ajio platform, as reported by media outlets. The brand had been banned in 2020, alongside other Chinese apps, due to geopolitical tensions. Known for its affordable and trendy fashion delivered at rap ...more
Jumbo: I’m sure we’re affected, but it’s not huge
East London, E. Cape, SA – They affect every business, I’m sure, though I don’t know how much. I certainly don’t know how much they affect mine, but it’s not massively.The way to counteract them is to improve customer service – after all, we’re on the ground. I suppose also improve our buying.&nbs ...more

Leather Industry Articles

The use of copper nanoparticles to prevent bacterial and fungal growth on leather
IntroductionBiocides and fungicides are used at different stages of the leather-making process. However, bacteria and fungi are still able to grow on finished leather, and especially vegetable tanned leather. The reason for this is that sweat from footwear can act as a carbon source for microbial growth, or that the concentration of fungi ...more
Transforming the leather sector in Ethiopia
A new leather processing programme, 42 new enterprises, 22 women's saving groups, and 2,876 young people with enhanced business development capacities—these are just some of the achievements within The Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employment Creation (LISEC).The three-and-a-half-year Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employme ...more
Fish skin leather – ‘In the absence of local expertise, we’re doing it ourselves, and 2025 has begun swimmingly’
7 Leagues is a Canadian fish skin leather tannery. CEO Tasha Nathanson previously wrote an article for S&V African Leather outlining the fish skin leather industry globally. 7 Leagues has been reinventing itself, as she explains below. You can also see more here: https://www.7leagues.com/ ...more

PPE Industry Articles

Beier Group, Department of Higher Education and SETA ‘better together’
Pinetown, KZN, SA – The Beier Group, which includes the BBF Safety Group, in December hosted the Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET) and the FP&M SETA for an oversight visit to ensure that state funds are being used in accordance with the Sectoral Skills Plan.DHET deputy minister Dr Mimmy Martha Gondwe and SETA ...more
Mine deaths in SA ‘lowest ever’ in 2024
Extract from the release of 2024 mine health and safety statistics by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, on 23 January 2025. ...more
Lengthy detentions: That’s just the way it is, says NCC
S&V Protect asked the National Consumer Commission to comment on Treadsafe’s experience, and also whether other containers have been detained. Jabu Mbeje, Divisional Head: Enforcement & Legal Services, at the NCC, sent this response: ...more