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
- Hail-fellow, well-met, in a genuine way - Obituary: Denis Manning – Kronies Footwear, Trenzado Footwear (29/03/1954-18/03/2025)
Sadly, Denis Manning passed away on Tuesday, 18 March after a battle with cancer, 11 days before his 71st birthday.Denis arrived in South Africa with his wife, Jane, in March 1976 and settled in Pinetown. He joined Kronies as a trainee factory manager and worked there for many years, firstly with Hans Krohn and Doug Roberts and then ...moreCanton: As big as ever
China Import and Export Fair, also known as the “Canton Fair”, is the World’s No.1 Expo in terms of scale. Canton Fair will see its 137th session to be held from April 15 to May 5, 2025 in Guangzhou, China.With an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, the 137th edition of Canton Fair converges 28,000+ exhibitors ...moreA practical joker, honest and generous in all things – except maybe biltong
Obituary: Howard Charles Patterson-Roberts – footwear agent (22/06/1951-08/03/2025) ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- New Zim tannery seeks ‘retired adviser’A new tannery to process cow and goat skins has started near Harare, and is hoping to attract “a retired tanning person” from South Africa for a short period to help set it up.“We have 3 drums and a few machines,” said Hashmook Naran of Tika Shoes, Harare, who is involved in the new business.“We’re curr ...moreRolfes management get to know new colleagues
Speciality chemicals distributor the Solevo Group, which acquired various Rolfes businesses in SA last year to add to its African portfolio, had a teambuilding and strategic session for senior management in Côte d'Ivoire recently. Pictured are the 4 South Africans (from left): Quintin Marais, MD of Rolfes Leather, Justin Ghersie, co ...moreA response to Sam Setter’s Pill, ‘Audits and reality aren’t always the same thing’, in the last issueI am not going to defend the brands or auditing systems referred to in the article shared by Sam. I would like to provide some thoughts from my own experiences for some of the drivers for those behaviours.The lack of transparency of parts of the supply chain and the superficiality of auditing systems are not disconnected; they are both af ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- A partnership for inclusion: Circular Energy and Bradshaw LeRoux join forces for disability inclusionCircular Energy is partnering with Bradshaw LeRoux, a disability inclusion specialists organisation, to forge a disability-positive workplace. ...moreBeier Group, Department of Higher Education and SETA ‘better together’
Pinetown, KZN, SA – The Beier Group, which includes the BBF Safety Group, in December hosted the Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET) and the FP&M SETA for an oversight visit to ensure that state funds are being used in accordance with the Sectoral Skills Plan.DHET deputy minister Dr Mimmy Martha Gondwe and SETA ...moreSwitch to updated standard: Footwear suppliers given time limit to run out old stockPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Safety footwear suppliers have until April 2026 to sell stock made to the 2014 edition of SA National Standard (SANS) 20345.The National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) confirmed this at a stakeholder meeting on 11 March.The SA National Standard (SANS) for safety footwear in South Africa was upgrade ...more
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