Footwear - Leather - PPE Industry News & Articles

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (23 January 2024) – The NSPCA reiterates its unwavering stance against the live export of animals by sea, emphasising the severe implications on animal welfare.  The recent incident involving the MV Bahijah, an Australian live export ship stranded amid deteriorating security in the Middle East, un ...more

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (06 February 2024) – The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) attended to the Fairy Glen Nature Reserve in Worcester, Western Cape to assist 3 illegally kept lions that were severely burned during wild fires in the area.  Grace de Lange, NSPCA Chief Operations Officer explains that “1 male and ...more

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (31 January 2023) – Source: SARS. https://www.sars.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/Docs/TradeStats/2023/8784Nov/Media-Release-November-2023.pdfIncluding Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (649 586 236)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.87Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (91&nbs ...more

The Midlands, KZN, SA – 2023 was a big year for Groundcover.The business was founded by my parents, Amanda and Justin McCarthy, in the KZN midlands in 1990.What started as a passion for leatherwork has since grown into a sensibly sized and sustainable business that employs 30 individuals.What has been key to our success is the commu ...more

Adidas, a dominating force in the sportswear and footwear sector, has successfully achieved a perfect equilibrium, with an equal split between traditional brick-and-mortar and cutting-edge e-commerce sales, as outlined in a recent report by Retail Brew. The intriguing question arises: what factors could have propelled this surge in o ...more

Pressure group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has unleashed its fury by levelling accusations against Ugg.Through a cease-and-desist letter addressed to Ugg, PETA called out the company for what it claims to be “misleading” clients with “marketing claims” aimed at assuring consumers that its ani ...more

The state of a country’s footwear industry often mirrors its economic health, and the contrast between India and South Africa is stark. India proudly flaunts a thriving footwear sector, while South Africa grapples with an industry in distress, showcasing the profound impact economic conditions have on shaping destinies. ...more

How long does a pair of boots last? For the Princess of Wales, nearly two decades and counting. Her favourite tassled riding boots by Penelope Chilvers recently featured in Netflix's The Crown worn by the young student Kate (played by Meg Bellamy) at university. They were first worn in public by Kate Middleton in 2004, and ...more

Payment solution offerings are advancing at a rate of knots, especially with the integration of technologies like AI, biometrics, and voice payments. No longer is it an option for small-scale businesses to offer their wares online without the ability for consumers to pay for their goods via a web-based portal.In fact, Pricewaterhouse ...more

We have published releases about Origify previously – in S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Vol. 89 No. 09, September 2023, and in S&V Protect Vol. 17 No. 3, illustrating its use in protecting designer handbags and medical/pharmaceutical products respectively. This release from Bosch illustrates its use protecting manufacturers of high-priced sneakers. ...more

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Former Western Cape agent for Brite Reef Swimwear, Spike Apparel and Sterling Clothing, Trevor Espey, has retired after 43 years as an agent.“In the early years, I represented Hang Ten in the Cape and later controlled the brand within SA Franchising,” he wrote. “What a long, lovely story. M ...more

Allan (Shaky) Norman died, aged 78, in Bournemouth, UK, on 13 December. He was born in 1945 at 26 Townsend St, Waterfoot, Rossendale, where he lived until emigrating to South Africa in 1973 to work for Shoe Corporation, Durban.  When Shoe Corp. closed, he moved to Pietermaritzburg to start Sandals Ltd. with Jeff Adley for Eddels and ...more

My father, Cecil John Fenwick, was born in Eshowe, Zululand, in 1942. He was the son of a magistrate and the family moved around to various towns during his early school career. These towns were mainly in the countryside where people become close friends and family was important. He spent many happy years fishing and hunting with his dogs ...more

It is with regret that we inform the footwear industry of the passing of Lou Jonck in the late hours of the 25th December 2023 at the age of 72. Lou spent the majority of his life in Port Elizabeth where he established himself as a knowledgeable and well-liked man.Lou joined Royal Adhesive Industries in 2019 representing the organisation ...more

Obituary: Roland ‘Roley’ Rogers – Bata SA, commission agent (11/09/1938-23/01/2024) Roley was born in Kuruman in the Northern Cape and was educated at CBC in Kimberly.He was an outstanding sportsman and represented OFS and Eastern Cape schools at rugby, cricket, and swimming.He joined Bata in Johannesburg and worked ...more

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (29 December 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (12 834 783 773)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.23Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (945 993 044)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.35ExportsMonth % of total 0.27Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 3  ...more

Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA – The South African ostrich industry has had a sustained 2-year period of mostly good news, much of it due to its own diligence, according to SA Ostrich Business Chamber (SAOBC) CEO Piet Kleyn.“Post-covid, we’re in a better state than we’ve been for some years,” he said.Leather and fea ...more

Columnist H. Procter wrote about solar power in the November issue, noting that it could both address sustainability issues and free tanneries from load shedding.“I had a call with Mossop Leather MD Gert Kruger after we published that article,” he wrote. “He told me it was possible to get all electricity needs with some ...more

Last year SLF was awarded a contract to work in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, under the Joint Action Support towards Industrialisation and Productive Section (SIPS). Under the contract SLF implemented a 5 step programme to support the tanneries in the region with training and audit certification to meet interna ...more

As a new year gift, Sam Setter has again given us TWO pills for this issue.I am flabbergasted to read in the November newsletter of Leather Naturally that it is ‘difficult due to global unrest and tension to remain mindful of the important role that we can play in helping to preserve our planet’, and ‘our minds here at L ...more