S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol89 No5 May 2023
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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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
- Skechers goes private amid rising tariffs
As U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports climb to 125%, Skechers is stepping away from public markets to rethink its strategy. ...moreWorld class manufacturing was an eye-opener and a lessonThis is my last contribution to this series of events. I have thoroughly enjoyed stepping back into the days when travelling to find new designs was real travel.My final contribution is to say that with all that happened there were a lot of positives also achieved. I managed to visit some international manufacturing facilit ...moreKnock 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Keeping it in the familyBoksburg, Gauteng, SA – During 2022/23 my wife fell ill with Covid and we decided to get our daughter, Tania Ellis, involved in the business to enable me to spend more time with Alice. Alice eventually passed away 17th January 2024 after 55 years of married life and as we’re all getting older, I decided to keep Tania on, with ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourICLT – no need to mourn too muchRegretfully the University of Northampton decided in 2023 to close the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies, which in a variety of forms can be dated back to 1891. Apparently, the number of students declined over the years, the costs increased and the institution became unsustainable leading to ...moreGELATINE INDUSTRY
Leather users have long joked about how good it would be to have square hides…thanks to the demand for gelatine, maybe that’s not so far away ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Updated 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 ...moreSELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...moreObituary: 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 ...more
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