S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol90 No3 March 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- The R-CTFL Masterplan, 5 years on – Part II: At the monthly meeting to discuss progress, it becomes clear that achieving duty-free access for footwear components isn’t a straightforward process.
- A visit to 7 chains shows that it’s very hard to find locally made shoes – and very hard also to find leather footwear.
- Els Agencies: Trying to get around late orders.
08 Sport & Activewear
- Diadora: Back, and with a vision to be a complete sport and lifestyle brand.
- Diadora: Looking to take a share of the running market.
- Diadora: Background to the brand.
- Admiral: Quietly, over a long period, it has grown a business supplying mainly into the sport trade and independent retailers.
14 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Stitching success – exploring the future of clothing and footwear in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Hermes in trouble in California courts over its Birkin Bag.
19 Notice Board
- Obituary: Basil Da Silva, Mendelson & Frost – The industry had many characters ‘back then’, and one has passed on.
- Obituary: Doug Patterson-Roberts, Kronies Footwear and Verona Shoes – A factory that was ‘a happy place to be’: Those were the days.
23 Trade Statistics
- South Africa: January imports and exports of footwear and accessories, provided by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
All China Leather Exhibition (07), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (05), Haesloop Agencies (06), Kaytex Belts (13), Leather Finishing Products (16), Leggenda Sport/Diadora (OFC and page 08), LGB Distributors/Admiral (11), Saddler Belts (02), SAFLEC (10), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (21), Shotland Packing (18).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 26 April 2024.
- Chain store visits: It’s very hard to find the locally made shoes
SAFLIA and S&V have separately carried out chain store visits in recent weeks at some prominent shopping centres, including most of the apparel chains aimed at middle- to upper middle-class consumers.There were a number of difficulties:It wasn’t always easy to find country of origin marking. Different chains – or perhaps d ...moreDiadora: Background to the brand
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and athletic footwear manufacturer that has a rich history dating back to 1948. The company was originally founded as a manufacturer for mountain boots by Marcello Danieli in Caerano di San Marco, a small town in northern Italy. The name"Diadora" is derived from the Greek words "dia" an ...moreAdmiral: Quietly, over a long period, it has grown a business supplying mainly into the sport trade and independent retailers
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Admiral first traded in South Africa in the 1970s and returned after isolation again in the late 80s, and while there have been changes, the business model has been largely consistent over that period: A brand offering technical clothing, footwear, and sports equipment for all teamwear sporting codes to t ...moreStitching success - exploring the future of clothing and footwear in Sub-Saharan Africa
Despite gloomy forecasts, research points to brighter prospects for Africa's fashion industry, driven by anticipated population growth. Contrary to what I thought before, it seems the secret does not lie in choosing better leaders but in having more babies :) ...moreHermès in trouble in California courts over its Birkin Bag
This article highlights a legal dispute surrounding Hermès and its iconic Birkin bag. The piece delves into a controversy in California courts, addressing allegations of unfair sales practices and potential antitrust violations. Additionally, I explore the Birkin bag's status as a luxury symbol and investment asset. I am amazed by the outrageously high price of the bag, and even more astonishing is the price of the bag on the second-hand market. I hope the article will provide your readers with insights into a market niche which I never knew existed. ...moreObituary: Basil Da Silva – Mendelson & Frost (28/02/1945-14/02/2024): The industry had many characters ‘back then’, and one has passed on
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - It is with sadness we acknowledge the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Basil Da Silva, who died 2 weeks short of his 79th birthday.Basil joined Mendelson & Frost in 1970 at the age of 25 and retired in 2011, 40 years later, after being Cape Town branch manager and a shareholder of the company.He was b ...moreObituary: Douglas Andrew Patterson-Roberts – Kronies Footwear, Verona Shoes (06/06/1943-11/03/2024): A factory that was ‘a happy place to be’: Those were the days
Joins the footwear division of Feltex Industries – later R. Faulks & Co. – as a teenaged apprentice under the watchful eye of his father, Andy Patterson-Roberts, in about 1958. Studies via the SA Institute of the Boot & Shoe Industry and qualifies in 1965. Becomes a supervisor on the production floor in ...moreThe monthly PMO Extended committee meeting: Duty-free status isn’t a straightforward processRemoving the duty on imported components is a process, and footwear is just starting out on it.Clothing has been granted duty free access to imported woven fabrics, but that doesn’t automatically extend to footwear.“What I didn’t know was that separately from the HS tariff code for the product, there are specific rebate ...moreEls Agencies: Trying to get around late ordersMany footwear manufacturers which concentrate on producing women’s leather sandals for retail are “very quiet at the moment”, Attie Els owner of leather supplier Els Agencies said.“They have fair orders for delivery from July on, but until then, they’re living off their reserves, trying to survive. The orders ...moreDiadora: Back, and with a vision to be a complete sport and lifestyle brandLenasia, Gauteng, SA – At Diadora South Africa, we uphold a commitment to delivering premium quality and innovation across 3 divisions: Lifestyle, Performance, and Team Sports. Each division is meticulously curated to meet the diverse needs and preferences of our local clientele.Sponsorships: In our continuous efforts to support and ...moreSA footwear & accessories trade statistics for January 2024Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (29 February 2024) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (1 349 503 956)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.16Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (1 349 503 956)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.16ExportsMonth % of total 0.18Cumulative 2023 (R'm) ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Obituary: Joe McGinley, Conshu (14/04/1936-20/05/2026) He ran an empire, but kept a human touch
Somerset West, W. Cape, SA – Joseph Pascal McGinley, the former Conshu director who died in May, a month after his 90th birthday, was a larger-than-life character who was renowned during his career in SA for his kindness, and who lived life to the full.Born in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland, to Joseph and Madeline McGinley, both doct ...moreDuty evasion, false country of origin and labelling main targets: NCC and SARS ‘sign MoU to strengthen compliance’Media statement issued jointly by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and SA Revenue Service (SARS)Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (06 May 2026) – The National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance consumer protection against the proliferation of ...moreA perspective: Perhaps it was an eye-opener for industry players to hear each otherLooking back over the workshop, BMA consultant Justin Snelling wrote: “In terms of our reflections of the workshop, we covered a lot of territory. Perhaps though what was most encouraging was the breadth of participation from different segments of the sector and their willingness, or even excitement, to contribute. We don’t ta ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Removal of bisphenol compounds from leather using laccase enzymes
IntroductionBisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol F (BPF), and Bisphenol S (BPS) are chemicals that have been shown to exhibit estrogenic effects and reproductive toxicity. These compounds disrupt hormonal balance, leading to reproductive and developmental toxicity, neuroendocrine dysfunction, immune system suppression, DNA damage, and chromosoma ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': A different perspectiveOne reader, Marc, commented on my March Pill: ‘Sam, the real frustration isn’t the criticism itself. It’s that we haven't been able to get our message outside our own echo chamber. I'm interested. How would you see the leather industry actually breaking through that barrier? In 2026, trust rarely comes from industry stat ...moreSARLEN: Defining what needs to be doneThe SARLEN webinar on 12 June 2026 featured 3 main speakers. The entire presentation can be seen here: : https://drive.google.com/file/d/14xBkPMTqsln-YuqkCXsm_vsazDwNqL83/view?usp=sharing ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- RealPPE 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. ...moreThe PPE Conference – PPE isn’t optional, it’s essential: A review
Leighton Bennett, the Safety First Association chairperson and a SHE and risk management consultantThe hosts of this first PPE Conference held in South Africa, were the Safety First Association and SAPEMA, on the 10 and 11 March 2026, at the Emperor’s Palace, in Kempton Park.This conference objectives were to provide a unique opport ...moreUnderstanding local and international PPE standards: Clarity in a complex landscape
Appearances and claims to the contrary, South Africa’s PPE industry “is largely unregulated, and a high percentage of PPE on the market is not compliant with official standards”, uvex Safety SA MD Christo Nel said, “and that’s a problem at many levels, and for the entire value chain”.He said the fundame ...more
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