S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol89 No7 July 2023
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Innovation
- SA footwear manufacturing was 20% up by volume last year, SAFLIA says.
- Proudly South African has a new mascot – but oh dear, those SHOES!
07 Exports & Trade
- Lou Harvey: Defying conventional wisdom by successfully exporting non-leather bags to Japan (and many other places).
11 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt, raising concerns for footwear companies and retailers.
- From DTC embrace to wholesale reunion, Nike’s retail strategy unveiled.
- Exploring the implications of slip-in shoes on children’s growth and independence.
- Minimalist shoes – fashionable choice, but linked to higher risk of injury and pain.
15 Safety Footwear
- South Africa’s market-leading safety footwear styles a testament to local development.
18 Fashion
- We are focused on bringing international and developing private-label brands to Africa and beyond, writes Sole Agents Distribution MD Richard Dixon.
18 Trade
- APICCAPS launches World Footwear Yearbook 2023.
- Italy: Values up, volumes down.
19 Trade Statistics
- South Africa: May imports and exports of footwear and accessories, provided by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF (OFC), Berzacks (04), Evolution Engineering (01), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (02), Rainbow Group (03), Royal Adhesive Industries (07), Saddler Belts (09), SAFLEC (10), S&V Directory (13), S&V Trade Fair Calendar (17), Strassberger’s (04).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 25 August.
- Borage: ISO certification helps open doors ‘in difficult market’
Pinetown, KZN, SA – The Rainbow Group cc, which includes Borage Textile Laminators, was certified ISO 9001:2015 compliant late last year, allowing it to supply entities which require quality assurance certification throughout their supply line.“Even in a tough environment, that’s helped bring in new business,” said ...moreProudly SA, but not very local
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (21 June 2023) – Proudly South African, the joint state-private sector association which promotes ‘buy local’ campaigns to encourage job creation, has had a more-than-life size mascot made to promote its message.Named Lolo (an abbreviation of “Love Local”) Warona (“ours”) ...moreLou Harvey: Defying conventional wisdom by successfully exporting non-leather bags to Japan (and many other places)
Durban, KZN, SA – Lou Harvey – the company – is, surely, the only business in South Africa’s CTFL exporting community which has had its products SOUND tested. And Lou Harvey – the person – is, surely, alone is receiving 800 WhatsApp messages in 1 day from the same person. You would be correct if you gue ...moreSupreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt, raising concerns for footwear companies and retailers
June 30, 2023, marked a significant blow for President Joe Biden. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against his ambitious plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt. This debt cancellation initiative aimed to benefit up to 43 million Americans, fulfilling a campaign promise that was made by the Democratic president. The court’s dec ...moreFrom DTC embrace to wholesale reunion, Nike’s retail strategy unveiled
Like a spouse saying to his or her partner — “I’m leaving you because I want to be alone, but I might come back, and when I do, please take me back.” This can be exemplified by what Nike has done. In 2017, Nike’s CEO, Mark Parker, announced at its Investor’s Day summit that the company would be embarkin ...moreExploring the implications of slip-in shoes on children’s growth and independence
As a retail analyst with a special interest in the footwear industry, I recently came across a captivating radio advertisement that piqued my curiosity. The ad showcased Skechers’ latest innovation: Hands-Free Slip-Ins. Being intrigued by this product, which promised to revolutionize the way children put on their shoes, I couldn&rsq ...moreMinimalist shoes — fashionable choice, but linked to higher risk of injury and pain
A recent study conducted by researchers at Griffith University in Australia looked at how different types of shoes affect runners. The study focused on minimalist footwear, which has less cushioning and support than traditional running shoes. The researchers wanted to understand if minimalist shoes could lead to more injuries and pain for ...moreSouth Africa’s market-leading safety footwear styles a testament to local development
With a 120-year history in occupational footwear, integrated workplace safety solutions provider BBF Safety Group remains Africa’s largest manufacturer of safety footwear. It also continues to expand its range of head-to-toe Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). ...moreWe are focused on bringing international and developing private-label brands to Africa and beyond.
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA - Now with a collection of 13 brands and more to be added, Sole Agents Distribution is well on track to being established in markets across Africa.New brands are continually added to the mix, and much time goes into the market and financial analysis before committing to any international or private-label brands.W ...moreWorld Footwear Yearbook 2023Is re-shoring a myth? Asia accounts for more than half of global CONSUMPTION.Porto, Portugal (27 July 2023) – The 2023 edition of the World Footwear Yearbook, produced annually by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association, has been published. This is the 13th edition.In a release, it highlighted:2022: Global footwear ...moreItaly: Values up, volumes downFirst quarter of 2023: Turnover (+13.6%) - Exports in value terms (+16.1%) - Export volumes (-2%) - Production (-1%)Milan, Italy (10 July 2023) – The first quarter of 2023 saw the recovery of the Italian footwear sector continue, with turnover up +13.6% compared to the same period in the previous year. This is th ...moreSA footwear & accessories trade statistics for May 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (30 June 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (5 325 826 601)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.23Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (1 029 940 927)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.24ExportsMonth % of total 0.18Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 1&nb ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Nostalgia: Hub Bijsterveld : Cheese & wine after a career solving consumer complaints
Harare, Zimbabwe – I note Hub Bijsterveld's memorial (09 February) in the Newsletter. Just a snippet about him. He was one of the best, if not the best chemist in the whole of the worldwide Bata Shoe Organisation. We used to have regular annual "Chemeets" in various parts of the world for our Chemists and Hub stood ou ...moreJumbo: I’m sure we’re affected, but it’s not huge
East London, E. Cape, SA – They affect every business, I’m sure, though I don’t know how much. I certainly don’t know how much they affect mine, but it’s not massively.The way to counteract them is to improve customer service – after all, we’re on the ground. I suppose also improve our buying.&nbs ...moreThe rare shoemaker who had a passion for the closing room
Obituary: John Paris Watt – Bata Shoe Co., Bresan Footwear (09/12/1944-05/01/2025) Howick, KZN, SA – It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of my father, John Paris Watt, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, who passed away at the age of 80 earlier this month.Born in East London in the Eastern Cap ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Transforming the leather sector in Ethiopia
A new leather processing programme, 42 new enterprises, 22 women's saving groups, and 2,876 young people with enhanced business development capacities—these are just some of the achievements within The Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employment Creation (LISEC).The three-and-a-half-year Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employme ...moreNo replacement yet for Pangea SA MDNigel, Gauteng, SA – Former Pangea SA MD Shalen Sewnandan, who left the company in October last year, is consulting to Pangea, among other companies, on various issues.Pangea SA has not, so far, announced a new MD. Top management currently running the company are finance & administration director Adrian Visser, operations & ...moreISTT launches online courses for international marketGrahamstown, E. Cape, SA – This year, the International School of Tanning Technology will become just that – international – and our first 2 foreign customers have signed up before we launch.All our courses have been redeveloped for online tuition.Given the shock announcement last year that the University of Northampton ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Mitigate risks and enhance efficiency - the ISO accreditation advantage
Durban, KZN, SA (11 September 2024) – ISO accreditation is a strategic investment that empowers businesses to enhance their competitiveness, mitigate risks, and seize new market opportunities. By adhering to globally recognised standards, organisations can build trust, streamline operations, and achieve sustainable growth. While the ...moreFunctionally integrated lightweight design in electric mobility: EV battery enclosures with lower carbon emissions
Chemnitz, Germany (02 September 2024) – More charging power, higher range, lower environmental impact: In the COOLBat joint research project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU have teamed up with partners to develop next-generation battery enclosures for electric vehicles. Th ...moreArtificial intelligence for Clinical Pathology: Data-efficient foundation model for biomarker detection
Bremen, Germany (02 September 2024) – The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems shows promise in medicine, where they can be used to detect diseases earlier, improve treatments, and ease staff workloads. But their performance depends on how well the AI is trained. A new multi-task approach to training AI makes it possible to t ...more
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