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
- Tifosi Sports: Moving on after On
Randburg, Gauteng, SA – Tifosi Sports “will be looking to establish a relationship with a meaningful international sports brand” when Swiss running shoe brand On moves to a new distributor in January, CEO Nick Zografos said last week. “We’re in discussions with a number of them.”Tifosi Sports has repres ...moreObituary: Miles O’Brien – Sportshoe, Jordan Shoes (08/02/1950-26/10/2025) Some See the Crescent, He Saw the Whole of the Moon
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Miles O’Brien went to Progress College in Rondebosch and studied marketing at Cape Technikon. His first job was at Standard Bank in Plumstead for a short period of time, then onto the City Tramways for 10 years.Sportshoe was owned by Benny Stoltzman (who also owned Vogue Shoes) who had the agency for A ...moreTrading conditions - September 2025: I quit – a retailer’s response to Jo’burg’s declineJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – I’ve actually closed my store down.I was situated in Mooi Street, Johannesburg, but the city has degenerated so badly that customers were scared to come to buy high value goods as they could be robbed or stabbed. It’s just not worth it to risk my life in the slum that used to be Johannesburg.& ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Sam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourNo limits to luxury’s dirty secrets? There seem to be no limits when it comes to digging out dirt about brands violating their own rules. Another top brand is under investigation, caught red handed by Italian authorities for violating labour laws by employing illegal (Chinese) immigrants, paying them indecently low wages for long wo ...moreMourning My Favourite Boots
How one pair of well-travelled boots made me question footwear sustainability ...more‘It’s unfair to target us,’ argues Cape Karoo International – ‘there’s no alternative’
The impact of a 30% duty on exports of ostrich leather and feathers from SA to the USA ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Obituary: Ernie Wallis, Sheq Safety (14/07/1959 – 16/08/2025): In all things, hard, fair and respected
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Ernie was raised in a strong, principled household. Ernie’s father – a naval man with sharp business acumen and a steady temperament – and his mother, who was uncompromising in her pursuit of fairness, instilled in him the values of discipline, justice, and integrity that would define his l ...moreSurviving the safety footwear industry: The Simpsons meet Armageddon
ProFit Safety Footwear national sales manager Nick Bryant was asked on his 45th birthday (20th of August) whether he still enjoys what he does for a living. “Absolutely. I love it. I live for it,” he replied. “And as for how… well, like most things in life, you need to have a serious passion for it… and an ...moreRevolutionising H&S: The role of AI and digitalisation at workPublished to coincide with World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 28 April 2025Dr Mohlomi Raliile, Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SAThe International Labour Organisation (ILO) commemorates World Day for Safety and Health at Work every year. The 2025 theme ’Revolutionising ...more
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