S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol89 No5 May 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Innovation
- Arsutoria trend workshops: ‘You have the most multi-ethnic society in Africa – use the inspirations,’ says Stefano Migliavacca.
05 Exports & Trade
- WEEFING their brand of gentleman’s magic around the world: The story of leather tie manufacturer WEEF.
07 Company News
- Bata SA plans to grow imports of its brands, including North Stars and Bubblegummers,' says country manager Michael Wyatt.
08 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- IMBOX Protection: The closed-box, plug-and-play solution for footwear protection.
- How Skechers is using celebrity collaborations to reach the African American market.
10 Global Markets
- Private labels capitalise on the cost-of-living crisis in Europe, reports consumer analyst Circana.
12 Notice Board
- Obituary: David Scott – A man who will be remembered for as well as by the people he left behind.
14 Trade Statistics
- Largest clothing companies globally by market capitalisation.
- Largest footwear companies globally by market capitalisation.
- South Africa: March imports and exports of footwear and accessories, provided by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF Safety (OFC), Berzacks (04), Evolution Engineering (01), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (02), Royal Adhesive Industries (07), Saddler Belts (10), SAFLEC (11), S&V Directory (13), S&V Trade Fair Calendar (16).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 9 June.
- Arsutoria trend workshops: 'You have the most multi-ethnic society in Africa - use the inspirations'
Durban, KZN, SA - The annual Arsutoria footwear and handbag international trends workshops in South Africa - which have run since 2017 - have, over the years, opened a window onto the fashion world for around 200 mainly design staff, most of whom would have had little opportunity to travel to fairs.The courses continued right through Covi ...moreNorth Star, Bubblegummers on the way back
Bata SA expansion programme: Retail partnerships, global brands ...moreIMBOX Protection: The closed-box, plug-and-play solution for footwear protection
IMBOX Protection is a footwear protection service that offers a closed-box, plug-and-play solution, which can protect all types of shoes within less than a minute. Since its launch in 2011, the company has expanded to 25 countries in Europe and Japan, and it's now making strides to expand in North America. The device used in the treatment ...moreHow Skechers is using celebrity collaborations to reach the African American market
Skechers has been striving to obtain a significant market share among the African American minority community in the United States. To appeal to this demographic, the brand, it would appear, has adopted a savvy strategy of collaborating with black celebrities. Seemingly by teaming up with popular figures, Skechers aims to attract new cons ...moreWEEFING their brand of gentleman’s magic around the world
WEEF is one of SAFLEC’s more unusual members, and they are full of mutual admiration.Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – In less than 7 years, leather tie manufacturer WEEF has gone from concept to fledgling global brand. And like a couple of other SA leather industry success stories, its founders are first and foremost marketing people, ...moreObituary: David Sean Scott - A man who will be remembered for the people he left behind
Obituary: David Sean Scott – Scotts, Brazilia Footwear (04/09/1955-26/02/2023)David Scott’s true legacy is summed up by the warmth of the memories of two women – his older daughter, Kate, and a former hawker he mentored to become an international businesswoman in her own right, Fortunate Msa Tserane of Msa Shoes.Kate Sco ...morePrivate labels capitalise on the cost-of-living crisis to make up 38% of total FMCG value sales in EuropeShoppers looking for smart deals on everyday groceries, to moderate the impact of price increases, are turning to private labels for better prices and excellent quality and value. ...moreSA footwear & accessories trade statistics for March 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (28 April 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (3 457 587 492)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.21Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (717 858 830)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.35 ExportsMonth % of total 0.20Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 758& ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Shlobo Designs: Foreign consumers appreciate handwork and the story behind the brand
Durban, KZN, SA – I’m a native of Umlazi’s K section, but I’ve called Seaview home since 1994.My life has been a tapestry of experiences, woven with threads of resilience, creativity, and unwavering determination. My journey took an unexpected turn when I was retrenched while working for the bank with a wealth expe ...moreThe Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas
Chinese sportswear brand Anta counts Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu among its brand ambassadorsChina's economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative's factory and now he was going to sell them. The mo ...moreRetail: ‘If you can’t make what’s needed, retail can’t sell what you make’“I have had a consistent message for manufacturers from when the Masterplan started,” said Michael Lawrence, executive director of the National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF). “Bring us what can sell to consumers, and we’ll buy it. There are some caveats, of course, around issues like value, design, branding, su ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Minister Steenhuisen announces progress in FMD vaccination strategyPretoria, Gauteng, SA (15 April 2026) – The Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, is pleased to report early data indicates that the current mass Foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccination strategy is yielding positive results. Crucially, there have been no new breakthroughs in herds that have already been vaccinated, providing a ...moreDavid Buirski retires (but we’re sure to hear more from him)
David Buirski, the former South African who edited World Leather from 1993 to 2005, and who continued his involvement with the publication and its offshoots until recently, has finally retired because “having turned 90 last December, I guess it was the sensible thing to do. Thirty-three years could be considered a long time.&rd ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': Reality check IISo in February, COMESA announced they will launch a regional leather value chain strategy 2025-2029. That is as far as I know at least the third value chain strategy for the COMESA region. I think that it is legitimate to ask what happened to the preceding strategies apart from consuming tens of millions of dollars without tangible result ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- What if the respirator you rely on to protect your health never sealed properly?
I had the opportunity to present at the first PPE Conference in RSA, where I shared some early work we) have been exploring towards developing respirator designs better suited to the South African population.Below is a short AI-generated summary of the core message of the presentation.Respirators are often the last line of defence against ...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 ...moreRealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurement
RealPPE 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. ...more
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