S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol87 No3 March 2021
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Short time and the suppliers
- Most SA footwear manufacturers are working short time currently - which also has a knock-on effect on machinery and component suppliers.
05 Comfort and wellness
- Comfort footwear has changed its appearance and its target market, and now it's had a boost thanks to the lockdown.
- Bolton Footwear comment by Devan Odayan, Gordon Gassert, Tersia Fisher and Tim Vermeulen.
- Dale Footwear/Hush Puppies comment by Laurence Lotzoff.
- Hotter SA comment by Bruce Wilson.
12 Opinion
- Evolving to survive: Suggestions for retailers by Richard Kushlick.
13 Opinion - The U.S. market
- Winning consumer spend is the new normal.
- Fashion footwear and accessories in 2021: The more things change, the more they stay the same, writes Beth Goldstein of NPD.
15 Safety Footwear
- The legacy of the Maxeco boot from Lemaitre: Recollections by Cedric Novis.
- DOT Safety Footwear signs JCB.
18 Technology
- Texon reboots 80s product as 'vegan friendly' material.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF Safety Group (OFC), Bolton Footwear/Grasshoppers (5), Dale Footwear/Hush Puppies (7), Freestyle (3), Saddler Belts (4), Strassberger Skoene (10).
In The Next Issue:
- Travel goods.
Out on April 7
We've revamped our trade fair calendar. Visit https://www.svmag.co.za/events
- One of Covid's winners
Spurred by the unlikely combination of athleisure and lockdowns, comfort footwear has become a category for every brand. Comfort footwear, comfortable footwear, wellness footwear, health footwear - different names and shades of meaning - but until fairly recently, in South Africa, mostly footwear for one category of end consumer, dominated by a few brands and a few specialist retailers.rn ...moreEvolving to survive: Suggestions for retailers
There was a time, not too long ago, when footwear retailers, wholesalers, importers and manufacturers around the globe could rely on the certainty that their specific skills would see them through for time to come. Market forces were relatively simple and could be dealt with effectively. ...moreThe legacy of the Maxeco boot from Lemaitre
Pinetown, KZN, SA - The Lemaitre Maxeco - now part of the BBF Safety Group's footwear range - has shod generations of South African workers over the last 30 years, and almost 10 million pairs have been produced - a very rare achievement in this country. Every legacy has to start somewhere. It’s a story based on the recollections of ...moreDOT Safety Footwear Signs JCB
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (March 04, 2021) - The DOT Safety Footwear group has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with UK-based construction and agricultural machinery manufacturer J.C Bamford Excavators Ltd (JCB). DOT's licence covers the distribution of the premium range of JCB Safety Footwear throughout Southern Africa. D ...moreTexon reboots 80s product as 'vegan friendly' material
Texon has seen a significant uplift in interest in its paper-based Texon Vogue material over the last 5 years, which it attributes, in part, to the increasing number of people becoming vegan. Around the world a growing number of people are adopting plant-based diets. The United Nations estimated that in September 2020 there were around 78 ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Mizuno: New distributor plans increase in marketing, and diversification of sports categoriesJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Digital Wellness has been appointed by Mizuno Europe as the new Mizuno Footwear distributor for Southern Africa.It was previously distributed by Performance Endurance Solutions.Brian Kerby will continue with the brand, filling the role of Mizuno Brand Manager. He and Digital Wellness MD Ricky West respond ...moreAre big shoe brands holding back better shoes?On the 28 June 2025 episode of The Energy Blueprint Podcast, Xero Shoes co-founder Steven Sashen made a striking claim: a major sports brand secretly tested a more natural shoe that cut injury rates by half compared to their top-selling model — and then shelved it.A more natural shoe, as Sashen describes, is desi ...moreMixed messages from Deckers Brands results
Goleta, California, USA (23 October 2025) – Hoka grew by 11.1% to US$634.1 million and Ugg grew by 10.1% to $759.6 million in Deckers Brands’ second fiscal quarter ended 30 September, the company announced.Sales of its ‘other brands’, now mainly Teva and Ahnu following the phase-out of its Koolaburra operations, de ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Better than last year, for sure, but tariff-hit Chinese furniture on its way hereCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Demand for upholstery leather this year is certainly better than last year. Thankfully there have been no further closures of large factories beyond the Grafton Everest factory some years back. The Bravo Group has restructured and seems to be slowly getting back on its feet thanks to a lot of the old guard b ...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 ...moreTRUTH: A message to the anti-leather lobby: Cattle aren’t killed for their hides. Q.E.D.
Benedict Spinoza (1637-1677) had many great contributions to the field of philosophy, especially his book entitled Ethics. In that great book he talks about false and true ideas. He mentions that a true idea, specifically the truth of an idea that you hold in your head is a very powerful intellectual tool. He draws a distinction between i ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Updated safety footwear standard: Industry awaiting NRCS guidelinesSafety footwear suppliers in SA are awaiting a response this month (December 2025) from the National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) on various aspects of the implementation of the updated safety footwear standard, SANS 20345: 2023, which comes into force in April 2026.A major concern is the period that will be allowed for safet ...moreFirst international pet product safety standard publishedStandard addresses safety of dog harnesses for use in motor vehicles. W. Conshohocken, Pa., U.S.A. (13 November 2025) – ASTM International’s consumer products committee (F15) has approved a new standard for the safety of dog harnesses used in motor vehicles. The standard (F3725) was developed by the pet products subcommit ...moreNew stent with the potential to lower thrombosis risk
Stents are used to remove narrowings (stenosis) in blood vessels, stabilize the vessels and thus prevent heart attacks or strokes. However, the implantation process damages the inner wall of blood vessel, and in addition a foreign body material is inserted into the blood vessel wall. Both factors can contribute to restenosis of the affect ...more
© S&V Publications
