S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol91 No2 February 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- R-CTFL Masterplan at a halt – for now, anyway, as government funding isn’t renewed.
- EU targets Shein as number of low value parcels more than doubles.
05 Export & Trade
- From crisis to catwalk: Can South Africa follow Portugal’s footsteps to save its footwear industry?
07 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- ‘De Minimis’ exemption removal – what it means for Shein, Temu & Amazon Haul.
- Top footwear resale trends 2024 – StockX report.
- Law firm files class action lawsuit against Crocs.
14 Noticeboard
- Obituary: Zelton Wiskin, an agent who loved to please, regardless of the consequences.
- Nostalgia: Hub Bijsterveld, cheese & wine after a career solving consumer complaints.
- History: British United Shoe Machinery – Harking back to the days of the great BUSM, by Barry Turner.
Advertisers in this Issue
Arena Trims (06), Berzack Brothers (04), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (02), Haesloop Agencies (08), Kaytex (10), Leather Finishing Products (13), Saddler Belts (OFC), SAFLEC (11), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (12), Shotland Packaging (15).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 19 March 2025. Deadline for submissions 12 March.
- From crisis to catwalk: Can South Africa follow Portugal’s footsteps to save its footwear industry?
Not long ago, Portugal’s footwear industry was on the brink of collapse, drowning under a wave of cheap Chinese imports. Factories shut down, jobs disappeared, and the sector seemed doomed. But instead of fading away, Portugal fought back reinventing itself into one of the world’s most sought-after footwear producers.South Afr ...more“De Minimis” exemption removal — what it means for Shein, Temu & Amazon haul
Recent changes to the “de minimis” exemption, which previously allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. tax-free, have raised concerns about the future of fast fashion giants Shein and Temu, as well as Amazon’s newest entrant into the market, Amazon Haul. But what’s really at play ...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. ...moreObituary: Zelton Wiskin – footwear agent (24/03/1958-24/01/2025) :‘He loved to please people - regardless of the consequences’
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Retired former footwear agent Zelton Wiskin died in January, after a long illness, aged 66.Born in Johannesburg, he left school early to work for his stepfather, Aubrey Fuchs, who was also an agent.He represented 2 footwear companies for most of his working career – women’s footwear manufactur ...moreNostalgia: 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 ...moreHistory: British United Shoe Machinery : Harking back to the days of the great BUSM
Barry Turner joined British United Shoe Machinery (BUSM) in Port Elizabeth in the 1970s, when PE was still a major footwear manufacturing centre and BUSM was the preeminent machinery and component supplier to the footwear industry. He got in touch with S&V last year looking for fellow BUSM old boy Johannes (Hannes) Harding, who, with ...moreMasterplan at a halt – for now, anywayCape Town, W. Cape, SA – The R-CTFL Masterplan – at its most visible level – has come to a halt.The government-funded contract for the project co-ordinators, B&M Analysts (BMA), ended at the end of last year, and has thus far not been renewed.That has meant that the weekly and monthly PMO meetings, the interface betw ...moreEU targets Shein as number of low value parcels more than doublesBrussels, Belgium (06 February 2025) – The European Commission has asked online fast-fashion retailer Shein to provide internal documents and more detailed information on risks linked to the presence of illegal goods and content on its marketplace, the EU executive said on Thursday.Shein said it welcomes "efforts that enhance t ...moreObituary: Zelton Wiskin – footwear agent (24/03/1958-24/01/2025) : A ‘well lubricated’ memoryZelton Wiskin, my friend.I'm sure you won't mind me sharing a fond memory of you with the shoe industry.In the good old days as shoe agents, we became good friends. You were taught by one of the best in the business (Aubrey). In those days we knew how to have fun and entertain our customers who became our friends.My best memory was when w ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Shoet3ch opens Pinetown office
Pinetown, KZN, SA – 6 months after the closure of Shoetech Engineering, its successor company, Shoet3ch Consumables (Pty) Ltd, has opened premises back in Pinetown.“This is of course a business decision,” said Shoet3ch director Nicky Hawkins, daughter of the late Shoetech owner, Eckehard Schumann, “but it’s a ...moreCan India’s Uttar Pradesh become the next global footwear hub?The state of Uttar Pradesh has approved a new footwear policy aimed at building a smooth chain that goes from design to delivery — covering ideas, production, training, and exports. The plan focuses on traditional hubs like Agra and Kanpur while pushing investment into less-developed regions such as&nbs ...moreObituary: Colin Pedlar – Reflex Footwear (Pty) Ltd (08/04/1946-18/07/2025) : Whatever he did, he did calmly, thoroughly, and well
I met Colin Pedlar for the first time when we had the opportunity to take over a production plant in Lesotho.It was quite a daunting prospect starting a new business in a foreign country.Colin was very involved right from the start and tackled every hurdle calmy, from negotiating with the Lesotho Government to moving machinery to Lesotho. ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- When textile mills are down, hopefully tanneries are upDurban, KZN, SA – Fredisco Dyes and Chemicals (Pty) Ltd is fortunate to be servicing clients in both the leather and textile industries. With a bit of luck, when one industry does poorly, the other does a bit better! Currently our leather customers seem to be doing well. We have seen strong demand for our leather dyes from tanneries ...moreKeeping 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 ...moreTopsoil expands into finished goods
Kafue, Zambia - Topsoil General Dealers Company established a hides and skins trading business in 2009. In 2022, with the help of the Crocodile Farmers Association of Zambia, it established a basic tannery to process lower grades crocodile skins into leather. The tannery installed capacity is 150 skins production per month from tan to fin ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- The Competency Dilemma: Determining Competency for Construction Health and Safety and Designations Outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014)
IntroductionThere are substantial ambiguities and debates about the definition of a “Competent Person” when assigning legal appointments and responsibilities for supervision, oversight, and management of key tasks. These are outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of (1993). Va ...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 ...moreSurviving the safety footwear industry: The Simpsons meet Armageddon
ProFit Safety Footwear national sales manager Nick Bryant was asked on his 45th birthday (20th of August) whether he still enjoys what he does for a living. “Absolutely. I love it. I live for it,” he replied. “And as for how… well, like most things in life, you need to have a serious passion for it… and an ...more
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