S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No10 October 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
03 Upfront
- Rwanda: Realism needed for a country with wonderful hides and skins.
- Hanni family prepares to celebrate 300 years of tanning.
- Fusion Leather World achieves LWG silver rating.
06 An Eclectic View
- Traceability in Africa: Unusually, Africa has led the way in leather traceability, writes correspondent H. Procter, but the devil is in the detail.
09 Other Materials
- Leather friends? Perhaps not quite ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, but ‘natural’ materials have more in common with each other than with the arch enemy, plastics, writes Karl Flowers.
11 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Keeping leather relevant for the future involves both holding on to its heritage and incorporating modern values, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor. - Only Natural: Inaugural competition, funded by the Leather & Hide Council of America and others, challenges fast fashion.
15 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (OFC), Fusion Leather World (04), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (07), Mimosa (02), Rolfes Leather Division (05), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (08), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (44), Sustainable Leather Foundation (12).
- TRACEABILITY IN AFRICA
Africa, specifically South Africa, leads the world in the traceability of leather, especially crocodilian and ostrich leather. Created decades ago, the trace and tracking system adapted for the high value exotic skins was implemented to prevent skin theft, and to monitor the value of skins (to enable the final payment to co-operative farm ...moreLEATHER FRIENDS?
Perhaps not quite ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, but ‘natural’ materials have more in common with each other than with the arch enemy, plastics ...moreKeeping leather relevant for the future…
Last month’s SLF article focused on the future of automotive leather and the changes being felt in the sector. This month, the focus is more generally around the crossroads that leather finds itself at, trying to hold on to the heritage of being one of the oldest industries on earth, while at the same time needing to be an industry of the future. ...moreOnly Natural: Inaugural competition, funded by Leather & Hide Council of America and others, challenges fast fashion
From algae lamps to bamboo chairs: young designers shine with sustainable creations International student competition challenged entrants to design bespoke pieces using only natural materials, inspired by nature’s beauty Students from London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martins, The Royal College of Arts, Nottingham T ...moreSlavesPublicity has always been a very important trade tool and its use to sell products goes back ‘ages’. The use of publicity is becoming more and more important as people, the consumers, are not thinking anymore with their own heads, but follow what others, so-called self-promoted influencers, tell them how to behave, how to dres ...moreFusion achieves LWG silver ratingCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Fusion Leather World (Pty) Ltd is the 11th South African tannery to become a Leather Working Group (LWG) certified supplier. It has been awarded a silver rating.“It’s now expected of leather exporters to have certification,” said MD Denzil Spolander. “Most of our growth will be from e ...moreRwanda: Realism needed for a country with wonderful hides and skinsNote: This correspondent requested anonymity.I read the Pill concerning the tannery park project in Rwanda. I fully agree with Sam Setter!Please allow me to share my mostly fantastic Rwanda experience. My first visit to Rwanda was back in 1981 where I met the MD of the Rwanda Leather Industry tannery at the outskirts of Kigali and the MD ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Challenges in the global footwear market amid economic strainDiscussions in Hong Kong: At a recent network session with fellow Footwear Council members from a few other countries while at the APLF, the topic for discussion revolved around the almost flat line and dip seen in manufacturing and exports with no significant increase.Of course, the likes of India and a few others commented on thing ...moreTop footwear resale trends 2024 - StockX report
The 2024 StockX Current Culture Index reveals some interesting trends in the resale market. Here are some of the key takeaways:SneakersAnta is the fastest-growing sneaker brand on StockX, with a whopping 1,901% trade growth year-over-year. This is largely thanks to Kyrie Irving’s signature shoe, the Kai ...moreLaw firm files class action lawsuit against Crocs
Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights firm, has initiated a class action lawsuit against Crocs, Inc., representing all purchasers of Crocs common stock between November 3, 2022, and October 28, 2024. The lawsuit alleges that Crocs misled investors regarding its acquisition of HEYDUDE, a casual footwear brand.Key allegations include:1. ...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 ...moreSam Setters Pills: Audits and reality aren’t always the same thingOn the last day of 2024 I read a very interesting article on Reuters’ website which I want to share with you hoping it is still available https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/inside-luxury-goods-broken-audit-system-2024-12-31/The article focusses on two important issues, being the lack of transparency of part of the ...moreFish skin leather – ‘In the absence of local expertise, we’re doing it ourselves, and 2025 has begun swimmingly’
7 Leagues is a Canadian fish skin leather tannery. CEO Tasha Nathanson previously wrote an article for S&V African Leather outlining the fish skin leather industry globally. 7 Leagues has been reinventing itself, as she explains below. You can also see more here: https://www.7leagues.com/ ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- SGS to host 'Discovering PPE softlines solutions’ on 27 MarchGeneva, Switzerland – Testing, inspection and certification company SGS is hosting a complimentary webinar, ‘Discovering PPE softlines solutions’, on 27 March 2025.The global market for personal protective equipment (PPE) is expanding, but it is also becoming more regulated. Businesses looking to ensure product complianc ...moreMine deaths in SA ‘lowest ever’ in 2024Extract from the release of 2024 mine health and safety statistics by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, on 23 January 2025. ...moreSouth Africa’s first safety escape room for hands-on health and safety training
South Africa's first safety escape room was set up at Phalaborwa Mining Company (PMC) in November last year by health and safety solutions provider KBC.“We required a fresh approach to training,” said Mabore Macheru, Manager in Training Development and Contractor Management at PMC. “This offers an interactive and practic ...more
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