S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol82 No8 Oct 2019
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Business Barometer
- Sans Singh, FST Manufacturers: Tough year, but some good signs for 2020.
- Fernand Vandenheede, Galabiss: Stick to your costings...we've hit bottom.
- Fiona Borthwick, FSP Collection: No orders in January, now we can't make enough.
- Saeed Bux, Elahi Footwear: Concern that there are no orders for 2020.
Doing Things Differently
- Veldskoen: What's in a name? A group of outsiders show the footwear industry how it's done.
Local Manufacturing
- The DTI's Master Plan: Chains, manufacturers, labour and government 'must work together'.
Opinion about the U.S. market by NPD
- The year in footwear, so far.
- Influencing up: The younger generation's impact on sustainable fashion.
- Women's handbags: The new normal.
- Sneakernomics: Back-to-school 2019 athletic footwear trends.
Online
- Digital marketing - content by Shikaar Mahabir, Activate.
Business Advice
- Special offer advice for your small business by the National Small Business Chamber.
Innovation
- Link: Part sneaker, part flip flop.
- SATRA to show PPE testing capabilities at A+A.
Sustainability and the Environment
- 7.5 tons of vinyl floor off-cuts collected, and most of it will end up in footwear sole units.
African Free Trade Agreement
- 'Get involved in devising standards,' SABS warns footwear manufacturers ahead of African free trade.
African Free Trade Agreement
- Texon highlights sustainability in new products and key appointment.
Company News
- Rugby legend gives Zambian-made Kaleza boots the thumbs up.
Notice Board
- Obituary: Mike Gedye - Always larger than life.
- Obituary: Mark Bennett - Many things to many people.
Advertisers in this Issue
Activate (2), Chillisource/Shoepack (7), Creative Leathergoods Manufacturers (6), Kaytex Belts (8), Mossop Leather (OFC), Strassberger's (9).
- Stick to your costings...we've hit bottom
Fernand Vandenheede, member, Galabiss cc. Unit sole mould manufacturer. Pinetown, KZN, SA - It's been a tough year, but there's still work to be had. The weak Rand has helped exports, and I'm currently cheaper than China. Overall, it's been fairly good. You have to be more efficient, and you have to stick to your guns. Do your costin ...moreNo orders in January - now we can't make enough
Fiona Borthwick, MD, FSP Collection (Pty) Ltd. Handbag manufacturer.Cape Town, W Cape, SA - So far, we're down on last year. If you talk to me at the end of December, we'll probably be on par. When we opened in January, there were no orders. People said we had to wait for the outcome of the elections in May, and from June, orders started ...moreVeldskoen
What's in a name? A group of outsiders show the footwear industry how it's done.It's probably fair to say that Digital Online Retail Platforms (DORP) - better known as Veldskoen - is South Africa's first global footwear brand. The genius of its creators has been to take a generic South African name, tap into an international market create ...moreMany things to many people
Obituary: Mark Stephen Bennett, African Cotton, Textiles & Apparel Monitor, (23/07/1960-26/08/2019) By Simon Reed, Accounting & Financial ServicesIt is with much sadness that I have been asked to write this. My friend, Mark Bennett, died in Accra, Ghana on 26 August, totally unexpectedly of a heart attack. I met Mark wa ...moreAlways larger than life
Obituary: Mike Gedye, MD, Michelle Footwear (04/03/1950-25/09/2019) It was my first day of school in South Africa. That was the 4th term of 1963 and a good-looking blonde guy walked up to me, extended his hand and said “Hi, I'm Mike Gedye”. We sat next to each other throughout our Grosvenor High School years, often swappi ...moreRugby legend gives Zambian-made Kaleza boots the thumbs up
Lusaka, Zambia – Former England Rugby Union International and World Cup winner Jason Leonard has been knocked sideways by the quality of locally produced Kaleza football boots. The popular Z-12 boots made by Zambeef division Zamleather are already scoring hits with players across the country. Now they have caught the attention of th ...moreTexon highlights sustainability in new products and key appointment
Hong Kong – Texon has launched 2 new products where environmental considerations are a key factor. Texon describes itself as "a market leader in the development of eco-friendly, structural materials for the global footwear industry". It manufactures insole, toe puff and heel counter materials. In July, it launched Texon Vu ...moreGet involved in devising standards - SABS tells manufacturers ahead of African free trade
The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and the Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the side-lines of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) week 2019 to formalise their commitment to collaborate on all standards related matters, including standards development and recognising South Africa as an inspection services provider for the implementation of the Botswana Standards (import inspection) regulations. ...moreTough year, but some good signs for 2020Sans Singh, MD, FQ Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd t/a FST Manufacturers. Manufacturer of webbing & tapes, zips, elastic shoelace & cord, trims and distributor of fabric, hook & loop tape, metal & plastic trims.Durban, KZN, SA - By comparison with last year, the number of orders have reduced, and quantities on the orders are signi ...moreConcern that there are no orders for 2020Saeed Bux, MD, Elahi Footwear (Pty) Ltd. Moccasin and stitchdown footwear manufacturer.Durban, KZN, SA - Our turnover is significantly down. We're affected the same as everyone else by the fact that consumers have no money. Added to that is that industrial relations are difficult. We're keeping our prices as low as possible and our margin ...moreThe DTI's Master Plan: Chains, manufacturers, labour and government 'must work together'7-point plan to grow local manufacturing<br>A final version of the DTI-sponsored 'R-CTFL Value Chain Master Plan to 2030' is nearing completion, according to Dr Jaywant Irkhede, director: leather & footwear at the DTI. Drawn up by Dr Justin Barnes of B&M Analysts for the DTI, the objectives are to, "by 2030, grow R-CTFL ...moreThe year in footwear, so farReports primarily about the US market by analytical company NPD.It’s been tough going for footwear (and for retail in general) in 2019. Adjusted for the extra week in January 2018, U.S. Footwear dollar sales are down -1% year-to-date through May, after growth of +8% year-to-date last year*. Business continues to shift away from majo ...moreInfluencing up: The younger generation's impact on sustainable fashionLike many of you, I’ve been inspired by the Global Climate Strike movement led by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. As awestruck as I am with her, I can’t help but think what was I doing at 16-years-old to help mankind? At that age, the only time I really thought about the climate is if it was too humid and my hair would frizz ...more
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PRICE:TBA
PRICE:TBA
Footwear Industry Articles
- An industry with distinctive material riches, unable to sufficiently convert them into finished goods in a world class way“The project’s purpose,” said Courtney Grant, “is to be a robust, evidence-based strategy to address the leather and general goods sector’s challenges and unlock its growth potential.”The main headings of her presentation were:Creating the groundwork for a National Leather and General Goods Strategy:Fro ...moreComrades Expo 2026
Durban, KZN, SA – The exhibitor list at the Comrades Expo, from 11-13 June, has shown an evolution in the types of companies exhibiting. Just 1 running footwear supplier, Ikhambi Distribution, promoting its Hoka brand, was there.Technical sock suppliers, however, were well represented, with Balega, Falke, Sox Footwear and The Hirst ...moreA perspective: Perhaps it was an eye-opener for industry players to hear each otherLooking back over the workshop, BMA consultant Justin Snelling wrote: “In terms of our reflections of the workshop, we covered a lot of territory. Perhaps though what was most encouraging was the breadth of participation from different segments of the sector and their willingness, or even excitement, to contribute. We don’t ta ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- ‘ESG is a global requirement’
Deborah Taylor, Sustainable Leather FoundationShe spoke about the SLF’s role in supporting harmonisation and minimising duplication of effort across the leather value chain, its education and training, development of robust and credible standards, and advocacy of the leather industry.She quoted the first definition of sustainability ...moreLuxury or notWe hear from all sides that the leather industry is not doing too well and the conflict in the Middle East is definitely not improving the situation. The present wars have a huge impact on inflation and hence on the buying power of consumers with negative consequences for the luxury industry whose shares we have seen tumbling at the vario ...moreLeather Naturally launches new report on sustainable water managementLeather Naturally’s latest educational resource, Sustainable Water Management in the Leather Industry (https://www.leathernaturally.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Leather-Naturally-Sustainable-Water-Management.pdf), is available to download.Developed using insights from recent public consultation, the report explores:* Why water rem ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- RealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurementRealPPE Marketplace is a 100% black women-owned B2B PPE marketplace built for South African industry. Founded after years of witnessing safety officers and procurement teams lose time to fragmented suppliers, inconsistent pricing, and missing documentation, RealPPE was created to bring structure and reliability to industrial PPE sourcing. ...moreChina-made firefighting equipment now needs verification of conformity with SANS standardsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Firefighting equipment is among the 25 product categories published on 01 April by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for a mandatory Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme.The system will require certain goods shipped from China to be tested and certified before they enter the ...moreNew OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, too
In March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...more
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