S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol91 No4 April 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- Following Trump’s tariff hikes, can mass shoe production actually be moved back to the U.S.? The answer is – it’s not that simple, says Footwear News.
- 40 000 retail doors could close by 2029, but footwear stores could hold their own, says Footwear News.
09 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Can Nike’s new CEO revive sales?
11 Counterfeits & IP
- Traditional Guinea Leppi fabric now officially recognized as a ‘Protected Geographical Indication’.
13 Noticeboard
- Obituary: Denis Manning, formerly of Kronies Footwear and Trenzado Footwear, was hail-fellow, well-met, in a genuine way.
- Obituary: Tony Jelinski, a ‘mouse’ who was in every way outsized.
Advertisers in this Issue
Arena Trims (06), BBF Safety Group (04), East Asian Import & Export (OFC), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (02), Haesloop Agencies (08), Kaytex Belts (12), Leather Finishing Products (10), Saddler Belts (09), SAFLEC (13), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (05), Shotland Packaging (14).
- Can Nike’s new CEO revive sales?
Can someone with 32 years at a company bring the bold, disruptive change needed to turn it around? Nike’s Elliott Hill is that man; he spent that amount of time at Nike before retiring — only to return as CEO on October 14, 2024. While his deep experience provides stability, it may also lead to an overreliance on past strategi ...moreTraditional Guinea Leppi fabric now officially recognised as a PGI
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (15/04/2025) – Leppi fabric dyed using local plants is the traditional fabric of the Foutah Djallon region in Guinea. Its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation, recently granted by the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI), safeguards the fabric from misuse inc ...moreHail-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 ...moreA ‘mouse’, who was in every way outsized - Obituary: Tony Jelinski – Everflex Manufacturing (19/10/1945-16/03/2025)
Tony Jelinski – who was also known as Mighty Mouse and whose personality, friendships and business acumen were a lot bigger than the biggest mouse you have ever seen.Due to my age of 84, I am the dinosaur of the partners of the PMC Group, of which Everflex, Tony’s sphere, was such a big part.I was responsible for getting Tony ...moreFollowing Trump’s tariff hikes, can mass shoe production actually be moved to the US? The answer is – it’s not that simple.President Trump’s escalation on Wednesday with the announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs have sparked a lot of questions and concerns among the footwear industry.One of these questions that are top of mind for many is: how realistic is it to bring shoe manufacturing back to the States? The answer is – it’ ...more40 000 retail doors could close by 2029, but footwear stores could hold their ownAgainst a backdrop of store closings, shoe retailers UBS analyst Michael Lasser favours include On Holding, Deckers, Dick's and Academy Sports. ...more
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Footwear Industry Articles
- Manufacturer-buyer event: Among the retailer commentsKim Cunniffe, Kingsmead ShoesOur buyers found some suppliers they were unaware of, and a few possibilities in terms of product. We haven’t yet taken this forward, but we will do so.Hassen Ismail, Fashion WorldIt was more-or-less what you expect of local manufacturing in terms of styling, quality, and price.We have asked for samples. ...moreObituary: 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 ...more2026 Comrades shoe count: Asics stays top, Adidas up, Nike slides into 4th place
Marathon shoe counts are among the few footwear statistics available in SA. The Sweat Shop’s Jax Snyman has extracted this year’s Comrades Marathon figures for comparison with last year.His assessment: “Asics up. Adidas properly up. New Balance steady although now 3rd largest. Nike down and drop in rankings to 4th. Sauco ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Nigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...moreZimbabwe Leather Development Council lobbies for Government contracts
The Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC) is lobbying policymakers to open up public procurement contracts to local leather manufacturers, arguing that Government contracts are essential to reviving the country’s struggling leather value chain.Speaking on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZIC ...more‘ESG is a global requirement’
Deborah Taylor, Sustainable Leather FoundationShe spoke about the SLF’s role in supporting harmonisation and minimising duplication of effort across the leather value chain, its education and training, development of robust and credible standards, and advocacy of the leather industry.She quoted the first definition of sustainability ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- 2nd SA PPE conference being planned for 2027 under the heading ‘Smart protection: the next era of PPE’Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Technology, artificial intelligence, connected devices and data are transforming the way we think about personal protection equipment — from how PPE is procured and selected, to how it is used, monitored and managed in the workplace.After the successful launch of the South African PPE conference hel ...moreStatistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populations
Respirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...moreObituary: Colin Battle, agent (17/04/1957-27/07/2026): Our sales trips were a whole life experience
Dearest Lee, Greg & Sammy,I send my sincerest condolences & wishes of long and healthy lives to all of you, after the passing of your beloved Colin. I’ve no doubt that once the pain of losing an adored husband and father starts to subside, you will be left the glorious memories of your lives together with a most wonderful an ...more
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