S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol87 No4 April 2021
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Opinion - IP: Where do rights end and greed begin?
- 'Satan' shoes: Nike vs MSCHF.
- Air Force 1 USPS: U.S. Postal Service vs Nike.
- The value of sneakers as collectibles.
06 The U.S. Market
- Strong recovery for apparel and restaurants.
- Sneakernomics: Let's talk about walking shoes as a category, suggests Matt Powell
07 Technology
- Texon launches ProWeave as a "unique weaving technology" with applications in footwear and PPE.
09 Trade Fairs
- IFEMA: Spanish fair organiser says hybrid events will lead to significant growth.
10 Notice Board
- Looking back: Mussa Hajat of Footwear Centre, Malawi.
- Obituary: Marco Di Lembo, Villani Shoes.
- Obituary: Brian Wallis, BU, Newtech, Shoetech and Safety-Boyz.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF Safety Group (OFC), Creative Leathergoods (8), Deluxe Footwear (6), Freestyle (3), Saddler Belts (7), Shoepack (4).
In The Next Issue:
- Industrial Footwear.
Out on May 12
We've revamped our trade fair calendar. Visit https://www.svmag.co.za/events
- 'Satan Shoes' to be recalled as Nike agrees to settle lawsuit
BBC, April 09, 2021 - Nike says the art collective which made "Satan Shoes" that purportedly contain a drop of human blood in the soles has agreed to issue a voluntary recall as part of a legal settlement. The $1,018 (£740) trainers are modified Nike Air Max 97s. Only 666 pairs were made and all but one have been shipped. ...more'The Nike Air Force 1 USPS' Experimental shoe is neither licensed nor otherwise authorized by the U.S. Postal Service
(April 1, 2021) - The Postal Service, which receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations, protects its intellectual property. Officially licensed products sold in the marketplace expand the affinity for the Postal Service brand and provide incremental revenu ...moreThe value of sneakers as collectibles
The reasoning behind MSCHF's launch was that some branded sneakers have become popular as collectibles. Another BBC story, on April 16, was headlined "Kanye West's $1m Yeezy shoes are 'most valuable to go on auction'." Extracts from that article included these gems: In recent years, sneakers have gained the same collectable stat ...moreProWeave: 'A step forward in woven technology' for shoes and PPE, says Texon
Prato, Italy - Texon, bust known to the footwear industry as a cellulose insole board manufacturer, has launched "a unique, patented, jacquard weaving technology", branded ProWeave, which will allow customers to custom design fabric which is then made by Texon. Texon says it has applications for the footwear, apparel, fashion an ...moreIFEMA: Spanish fair organiser says hybrid events will lead to significant growth
Madrid, Spain (April 13, 2021) - Spanish trade fair organiser IFEMA Madrid, which includes the twice-yearly Momad shoe fairs in its portfolio of over 50 fairs, says digital platforms and services and the hybridisation of its fairs will add 30% to current turnover over the next 3 years, adding more than €40 million in revenue. L ...moreA proud moment: Looking back: Mussa Hajat, Footwear Centre
Blantyre, Malawi - Mussa Hajat, founder of Footwear Centre, is pictured above receiving an Omega watch from Bata Rhodesia MD, Dr Fiksel, at Bata's head office in Gwelo, in 1957. He started work with Bata in 1950 as a salesman in Bata's Blantyre shop, and rose to become sales manager of all Bata's retail shops in Nyasaland. He finally left ...moreThe life and soul of Villani - Obituary: Marco Di Lembo - Villani Shoes (30/07/1973-06/04/2021)
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA - Marco Di Lembo, the owner of Villani Shoes, died tragically on April 06, aged 47. Born in Johannesburg to Michele and Rosella Di Lembo, he went to Robertsham Primary Junior School before progressing to Sir John Adamson High School. While in high school, Marco matured and earned academic distinctions and partici ...moreItalian shoe machinery expert - Obituary: Brian Wallis - BU, Newtech, Shoetech and Safety-Boyz (16/10/1945-09/04/2021)
Durban, KZN, SA - Shoe machinery expert Brian Wallis died unexpectedly on April 09, aged 75. Born and raised in Port Elizabeth, he entered the footwear industry in his early 20s when he joined British United, at that time by far the dominant force in footwear machinery in SA, where he trained as a machinery technician. There he also met h ...moreStrong recovery for apparel and restaurantsExtract from Shop-Eat-Surf, April 15, 2021- The federal government’s monthly retail numbers released Thursday morning backup what we have been hearing anecdotally from industry retailers and brands: consumers opened their wallets in a big way in March.U.S. retail sales grew 9.8% in March compared to the previous month. And most inte ...moreLet's talk about walking shoesWe all know about the running shoe boom. More people are running, trying to stay healthy while also remaining socially distant. Sales of running shoes are up compared to a year ago. I’m firmly convinced we’ll see running shoes return as street wear, something we have not seen in over 8 years. But there is a related trend that ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- A ‘mouse’, who was in every way outsized - Obituary: Tony Jelinski – Everflex Manufacturing (19/10/1945-16/03/2025)
Tony Jelinski – who was also known as Mighty Mouse and whose personality, friendships and business acumen were a lot bigger than the biggest mouse you have ever seen.Due to my age of 84, I am the dinosaur of the partners of the PMC Group, of which Everflex, Tony’s sphere, was such a big part.I was responsible for getting Tony ...moreRunning remains a difficult market for brands to break into
Johannesburg, 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 ...moreRunning is a global focus for Adidas; locally, we want to help Cape Town achieve International Major Marathon status
Tom 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Karan Beef hit by FMD – no response from Bader SA on likely hold up in hide supplyCampaign to control and eradicate the disease ‘paying off’, DoA says ...moreCountry hides and skins: Changed markets for a forgotten source
Changes in the global leather market have impacted most on the bottom rung of the leather value chain – ‘country’ hides and skins. This was starkly illustrated when S&V African Leather received a call from someone in the Eastern Cape who had previously made a living collecting them for sale to agents acting on behalf of hide and skin collectors. The agents were still there, he said, but they weren’t interested in buying what he had to offer. Where should he look?rnrn A call to trader Gareth Diesel in East London, who works for and with Elliott Brothers and its subsidiary, East London Abattoir, confirmed that market had died in the province.rnrn He suggested we ask Greg Feinberg, MD of SA’s biggest hide and skin trader, pickler and wet blue tannery, Cape Produce Company, for ‘the bigger picture’. ...moreCan incoming legislation bring opportunities for Africa?
As global markets adopt stricter environmental, human rights and ethical regulations—particularly in the European Union—the African leather industry faces a pivotal moment. While new legislation around sustainability, traceability, and labour rights introduces compliance challenges, it also opens doors for African producers to access higher-value international markets. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Lengthy detentions: That’s just the way it is, says NCCS&V Protect asked the National Consumer Commission to comment on Treadsafe’s experience, and also whether other containers have been detained. Jabu Mbeje, Divisional Head: Enforcement & Legal Services, at the NCC, sent this response: ...moreThe recipe for success and safety - the strategic value of ISO 22000 certification in the food industry
Durban, KZN, SA (08 January 2025) – In today's increasingly globalised food industry, consumer trust and product safety is everything, but businesses must go beyond mere compliance and strive for excellence to thrive in this competitive context. ISO 22000 certification offers a strategic solution to achieve these goals, providing th ...moreSouth Africa’s first safety escape room for hands-on health and safety training
South Africa's first safety escape room was set up at Phalaborwa Mining Company (PMC) in November last year by health and safety solutions provider KBC.“We required a fresh approach to training,” said Mabore Macheru, Manager in Training Development and Contractor Management at PMC. “This offers an interactive and practic ...more
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