S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol87 No2 February 2021
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Stitchdowns
- It's been a great ride - can it continue?
- Strassbergers: Anchored in its core market, says JJ du Plessis.
- Bolton Footwear: So much potential still, say Tim Vermeulen, Samantha Pillay and Gordon Gassert.
- Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather: It may be time to be a bit wary of overtrading, says Grant Munro.
- Veldskoen: It's all about making an age-old style trendy, says Ross Zondagh.
- FLIC: The Veldskoen phenomenon, by Russell Addinall.
11 Business
- New distributor for Palladium, Ben Sherman.
- Promo One: Clarifying the situation.
- Crafter Kim-G secures its first export order.
14 Technology
- Texon 'significantly increases sustainable content' of Sportflex box toe puff material.
- Lectra to acquire rival Gerber Technology.
15 Fairs
- Milan Fairs: The virus wins as organisers go digital, but plan normal September editions.
16 Notice Board
- Looking back: A great journey so far, says Adrian McElhinney.
- Obituary: Bernhard Manock, a pioneer in SA leather apparel.
Advertisers in this Issue
Bolton Footwear/Grasshoppers (6), Freestyle (7), Palm Footwear/Terrapod (13), Palm Footwear/Trustees (OFC), Saddler Belts (11), Strassberger Skoene (3), Topline Manufacturers (2).
In The Next Issue:
- Comfort footwear.
Out on March 17
We've revamped our trade fair calendar. Visit https://www.svmag.co.za/events
- Stitchdowns: Strassbergers: Anchored in its core market
How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around?I expect stitchdowns (vellies) to stay in the agricultural market forever. You would, however, have to be very creative in 5 years’ time to still ride the current wave in the malls of SA and the overseas market. Vellies will always be part of “Die Boer” and his ...moreStitchdowns: Bolton Footwear: So much potential still
How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around? It’s hard to predict but I believe stitchdowns current popularity will continue for many more seasons, especially locally due to price and the versatility of the traditional Veldschoen silhouette. Fashion fluctuates depending on the times so the Vellie demand w ...moreStitchdowns: It may be time to be a bit wary of overtrading
How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around?Normally the product life cycle follows a pattern which, towards the tail end, attracts many rats and mice or so-called fly-by-nights. We have an increasing number of the afore-mentioned, which usually precipitates a fall off of business as the category becomes cheapened and hea ...moreStitchdowns: Veldskoen: It's all about making an age-old style trendy
How long will stitchdowns be a fashion item this time around?We would like to see this carry on of course for a long time to come, and we are always looking at new designs and concepts as well, but we also need to focus on growing our brand internationally, and you can’t just release new leathers and designs all the time, it takes t ...moreStitchdowns: The Veldskoen Phenomenon
The name is derived from the Afrikaans vel, later assimilated with veld, and skoene. They were first made by the Dutch settlers in the mid-17th century. The design is believed to be based on the traditional Khoisan footwear observed by these settlers. The footwear was later embedded into the South African cultural psyche, the rest is hist ...moreKim-G secures first export order
Kimberley, N. Cape, SA - S&V has Kim-G Leather Sandals, making 50 pairs/week, listed as a crafter in the Directory. We may have to change that. Opened 2 years ago by former Durbanite Gerry du Toit as a retirement project, Kim-G has just dispatched its first export order to Australia. "The owner of the orthopaedi ...moreTexon 'significantly increases sustainable content' of Sportflex box toe puff material
Skelton, UK (February 02, 2021) - Following a project with one of the world’s leading sports brands, Texon has reengineered one of its most popular box toe puff materials for the footwear industry to include more sustainable content. Collaborating across its supply chain to source more sustainable materials, Texon has increased the ...moreStitchdowns: It's been a great ride - can it continue?Stitchdowns have been riding a global wave for several years now. What makes that special for the southern African footwear industry is that a) it's an evergreen item for a core (and not insignificant) customer group and b), it's a construction that has been made locally since - well forever, really - meaning they have a realistic o ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Knock out the knockoffs: Protecting your brand against imitationsCounterfeiting is no longer confined to imitation designer goods sold in back-alley markets. It has become a widespread and organised trade that threatens fair competition and the rights of legitimate businesses. At its simplest, counterfeiting means the deliberate manufacture and sale of goods calculated to resemble genuine branded produ ...moreModway voted ‘best shoe store’ in its area
Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – Modway Shoes (Pty) Ltd was voted the best shoe store in the 2025 ‘Best of Pmb & Midlands’ by readers of The Witness and other KZN newspapers in the Caxton Group.Modway has one bricks-and-mortar store and an online store.Shoe Street Brookside and Sole Base Hayfields were second and third.&l ...moreThe basic that must be comfortable, last for a long time, and cost very little
This is the peak season for retailers to stock school shoes, the unglamorous staple which underpins so much of the SA footwear industry. Palm Footwear is one of the most successful school shoe suppliers, and here MD Rajeev Pattundeen answers our questions about what consumers expect and retailers need from this category, and what the future holds. ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- A land of opportunities, a land of contrasts, but it needs global brands to invest
Reg Hankey, executive chairman of Pittards Group Ltd., is well qualified to write about the leather industry in Ethiopia. As an investor, he knows the opportunities and the pitfalls. He is also passionate about the country and its people. ...moreAvian influenza leads to ostrich cull in CanadaAccording to multiple media reports, Canada’s food inspection agency is to cull – has probably culled, by the time this is published – close to 400 ostriches on Universal Ostrich Farms, near the town of Edgewood, British Columbia, following an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza.The outbreak was first picked up in May, but ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Brands remain holier than thouOn more than one occasion I have reported on brands being caught using illegal labour in their supply line. From what I understand several brands regularly, but indirectly, use illegal labour and of course always deny their knowledge of this happening. The problem is that everybody knows and nobody can prove this because the brands buy fr ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Comments from South African visitors to A+A 2025We asked for feedback from South African companies that visited A+A 2025. ...moreUpdated safety footwear standards: No clarity after marathon meetingPretoria, Gauteng, SA – South African safety footwear manufacturers and importers will have to wait until 08 October to get answers from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) after a 3-hour, 30-minute Microsoft Teams ‘stakeholder meeting’ on 11September overran its timeslot – and that was afte ...moreHighlights from A+A 2025
Head and Hearing Protection 3M™ PELTOR™ WS™ ALERT™ XPV Headset: This solar-powered headset features a patented film that charges the battery using both sunlight and indoor light, providing approximately 78 hours of working time. Photo: https://za.rs-online.com/3M™ Speedglas™ G5-03 Welding Helm ...more
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