Footwear Industry Articles

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – In loving memory of my dad, Michele Di Lembo, born on August 17, 1939, in Campolieto, Italy, and who peacefully departed on 1st August 2023. He ventured to South Africa in 1961, as a highly skilled shoe creator and cobbler, and worked as the factory manager at an Italian factory, Curtolo Shoes. He did not ...more

This year’s crowded calendar of September fairs in Milan – Micam, Mipel, The One Milano, Lineapelle and Simac Tanning Tech – also included the 21st UITIC International Technical Footwear Congress. Across them all, innovation and sustainability were the dominant themes. In the background, the Ukraine war, the changing role of China, and fragile economies, impact sales. At Simac Tanning Tech, exhibitors supplying the tanning industry mostly said the fair went better than they had expected, while those supplying footwear and leather goods manufacturers were less sure. ...more

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – We have changed our name to Certo Sports (Pty) Ltd as an over-arching company. Under this name, we incorporate Olympic Footwear & Apparel and Racefood, the nutritional food bar brand.Olympic Footwear & Apparel We have made inroads into the likes of Sportsman’s Warehouse, Totalsports, The Athlet ...more

An “influencer” who promotes Jim Green Footwear on YouTube has made the claim that it is “one of the only if not the only” South African shoe manufacturers that pays 100% of the prescribed [wage] rate. He said others paid 65% of the rate.The influencer, who operates under the name Rose Anvil, made the claim in a pr ...more

Florida, Gauteng, SA – As a handbag manufacturing country, South Africa has a rich and varied source of leathers as its most obvious advantage.And leather was originally the material of choice for Diana Lopez when she started making handbags in her native Colombia years ago. It remained the material of choice when she moved to South ...more

23 August 2023 – TikTok, the popular short-video app owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., is rapidly growing its TikTok Shop feature in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, where it has found success as a livestreamed marketplace for in-app shopping. The platform’s success in this region is crucial, as it faces potenti ...more

Insights from Australian Study on School Shoes:Footwear plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, impacting not only our style but also our health and comfort. Recently, a groundbreaking study conducted in Australia shed light on the attitudes of secondary school principals, parents, and students towards prescribed school footwear guidelin ...more

UK Schoolgirl’s ‘School Shoes’ Spark Dress Code DebateIn a recent incident that occurred at Grace College in Gateshead, UK and was reported by Sam Elliott-Gibbs in the Mirror UK on September 7, 2023, a schoolgirl’s choice of footwear has ignited a nationwide debate on school dress codes and comfort. This incident c ...more

As the global business landscape evolves, it’s essential for executives in the African footwear industry to stay attuned to emerging trends that could reshape their market dynamics. The recent surge of TikTok’s in-app shopping feature, anticipated to reach a staggering $20 billion in gross merchandise value, underscores the si ...more

Recognizing authenticity and ensuring traceability: Origify increases level of security for a wide range of products Stuttgart, Germany (31 August 2023) – Almost the entire European economy is affected by counterfeiting. Besides luxury goods, the problem affects many other sectors and industries: High-value, high-priced pr ...more