Footwear - Leather - PPE Industry News & Articles
- Revolutionising H&S: The role of AI and digitalisation at workPublished to coincide with World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 28 April 2025Dr Mohlomi Raliile, Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SAThe International Labour Organisation (ILO) commemorates World Day for Safety and Health at Work every year. The 2025 theme ’Revolutionising ...moreGap cover: The case for the extra costAccidents can leave families with medical expenses that extend beyond what medical aid covers. This is where gap cover becomes a safety net. Accident benefits help bridge the gap between what medical aid pays and the actual costs of treatment.The financial implications of accidentsMedical costs can vary significantly. In severe cases, acc ...moreWorkplace safety is a universal responsibility, not just in high-risk industriesMany people think that Operational Risk Management (ORM) is only relevant to industries with obvious hazards, like mining and construction. However, South Africa's workplace safety law – the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the OHS Act), mandates all employers to keep their workplaces safe, no matter what kind of business they ru ...moreRunning is a global focus for Adidas; locally, we want to help Cape Town achieve International Major Marathon statusTom Brown is senior brand director at Adidas. He answered our questions.Is Adidas targeting technical running internationally, or is this mainly in SA?Technical running is a proud cornerstone of the adidas business internationally and we constantly endeavour to develop the best products and work with the best athletes and events. Last yea ...moreRunning remains a difficult market for brands to break intoJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – The count is probably an accurate reflection of the intentions of the entrants when entries closed on 17 December 24, but it also throws up an oddity: Specialist running shoe retailers I have spoken to will tell you that Asics is the number 1 running brand, but Adidas is definitely not number 2 in their s ...moreThat bag goes on auctionThe original Hermès Birkin bag – more about capacity than style.The original Hermès Birkin bag, which acted as the blueprint for what would become one of the most desirable celebrity status symbols in the world, will be auctioned by Sotherby’s in Paris on 10 July.According to CNN, in 1984 actress and singer ...moreU.S. footwear industry unites again to oppose crushing tariffsOn 29 April 2025, more than 70 major footwear companies — including Nike, Adidas, Skechers, Puma, and Crocs — signed a joint letter to President Donald Trump, urgently requesting that footwear be removed from the list of products subject to new reciprocal tariffs. These companies warned that the added tariff burden poses a ser ...moreBack to Amazon, up with prices — is Nike’s comeback plan enough?Nike has now reported its fourth straight quarter of declining year-over-year sales. To stop the slide, it’s making two major moves — selling directly on Amazon again and raising prices on select products. These strategies may offer a short-term lift, but deeper challenges remain.Returning to Amazon connects Nike to over 230 m ...moreYour next Dollar might have an Amazon or Walmart logoWalmart and Amazon are exploring the idea of creating their own digital dollars, known as stablecoins. These are cryptocurrencies tied to the U.S. dollar, designed to hold steady value — unlike Bitcoin or other volatile coins. If launched, these corporate coins could let shoppers pay directly on Amazon or at Walmart without using tr ...moreWhen overseas travel was a real trip, Part IIBack in the day: Range building by travel in the 1980s and 90sSo, I am going to split up my stories into different categories. - The reason for going to Europe and what was required.- Then I will talk about the travel and what happened in the different countries.- Finally, I will be a bit more open on my personal experience. The ...moreThe striking difference between the top brands here and in the USThe Comrades shoe count held no surprises as it is almost identical to the Two Oceans count earlier this year.However, the major point of interest is comparing the market shares of the running shoes brands in South Africa and the USA.Recently released figures from a leading franchise group of 300 specialist running shops in the USA indica ...moreTechnically, all the brands have good modelsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Well it's always difficult to say how accurate the count is because it's done in November, 7 months before the actual race day. So it's not done physically on the day, and it can change over that time. For example, people can change brands because they aren’t working anymore for them and also a lot of b ...moreComrades Marathon 2025Because of its broad appeal and the number – 23 000 is the maximum allowed – and diversity of its participants, the Comrades is regarded as a key indicator of the popularity of running shoe brands in SA. Runners, who have to register by early December for the race in June the following year, are asked to fill in the brand ...moreAfrican Merino: Severe electricity, water breakdowns, ‘but we’re carrying on’Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng, SA – Wool-on sheepskin tannery African Merino Trading is playing catch-up following 30 consecutive days without water, and 75 days since January during which they either had no water and/or no electricity, preventing production.“Since we stopped exporting and downsized 8 years ago, we’ve been p ...moreESG PORTFOLIOSOver the past decade, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has experienced significant growth, driven by increasing awareness of sustainability issues and a desire for ethical investment options. However, recent years have seen a notable decline in ESG investments, raising questions about their future viability. ...moreEuropean Commission Confirms Country Risk Classification in preparation for EUDRAhead of the legal deadline of 30th June 2025, the European Commission has adopted the Implementing Act on the Country Benchmarking System under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), effective from 22nd May 2025. This regulatory step is a pivotal development in the EU’s ongoing environmental strategy, aiming to curb deforestation linked to commodity imports. ...more‘Real Leather. Stay different.’ chooses Taipei to host 2025 international finalThe Leather & Hide Council of America (LHCA) has selected Taipei, Taiwan, as the host city for the 5th annual Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) international student design competition final, scheduled for 27-28 October 2025.Following events in London and Milan, the competition now underscores Asia's rising prominence as a hub for ...moreThe effect of fatliquor sulphitation on leather qualityIntroductionDuring the fatliquoring process, the fatliquors are deposited or chemically bind to the leather fibres. This allows the fibres to move over each other and prevents them from sticking to each other when the leather is dried. It is therefore a well-known fact that fatliquoring impacts the tensile strength, tear resistance, imper ...moreACLE, new Moda China, UITIC – Shanghai gearing up for major event‘China taking advantage of rock bottom hide prices’rnDuties on U.S. hides – opportunities for other countries? ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourMario PucciFirst, I would like to pay tribute to my friend Mario Pucci, former head of communications and international activities of Italian ASSOMAC, who left us on June 2nd. My sincere condolences to Antonella, Mrs Pucci.SavarIt’s extremely sad to note that Bangladesh is lifting the export ban on raw hides and wet blue leathers, a ...more© S&V Publications
















