S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol91 No5 May 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- Some ideas to stimulate a recovery in local footwear and leather goods manufacturing.
09 Trends
- Boat shoes: Sales finally climbing in the US, but local suppliers say there’s no uptick here.
- Elan-Polo SA launches a sneaker range made largely from recycled materials.
13 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Skechers going private to compete smarter?
15 Evolution
- Swedish retailer wanted to ensure its European suppliers were a better fit than Far East – SGS assessment programme raised standards of a Macedonian supplier.
- Growing trend in the East towards factories staffed entirely by robots – rest of the world ‘being left behind’.
17 Noticeboard
- Obituary: William ‘Bill’ Ramage, formerly of King Tanning and Apeco, had a zest for life.
- Back in the day: Brian Zyster recalls range building by travel in the 1980s and 90s.
Advertisers in this Issue
Arena Trims (02), East Asian Import & Export (04), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (OFC), Haesloop Agencies (06), Kaytex Belts (09), Leather Finishing Products (12), Saddler Belts (10), SAFLEC (07), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (17), Shotland Packaging (14).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 25 June 2025. Deadline for submissions 18 June.
- Some ideas to stimulate a recovery in local footwear and leather goods manufacturing
There are many factors other than reluctant chain buyers that contribute to the SA leather value chain’s problems ...moreBoat shoes: Sales finally climbing in the US, but local suppliers say there’s no uptick here
Under the headline “Boat shoes sales up for first time in 10 years — one year after fashion declared the style’s comeback”, Footwear News this month reported that boat shoe sales finally seeing an increase, “albeit a fraction of where the category once was in the 2010s”. ...moreElan-Polo SA launches sneaker range made largely from recycled materials
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Elan-Polo SA MD Stuart Worrall has launched a sneaker range made largely from recycled materials.The Green T range – currently 5 styles selling online for R1400 – have uppers and linings made entirely from recycled polyester/PET, insoles with 85% recycled PU content, and outsoles with 35% recycle ...moreSkechers going private to compete smarter?
Skechers has announced its acquisition by private equity firm 3G Capital for $63 per share — a 30% premium over its recent stock price — marking its shift from public to private ownership by Q3 2025. Once the deal closes, Skechers will be delisted from the NYSE, and public shareholders will receive a cash payout. CEO Robe ...moreSwedish retailer wanted to ensure its European suppliers were a better fit than Far East – SGS assessment programme raised standards of Macedonian supplier
Geneva, Switzerland (16 May 2025) – A partnership between testing, inspection and certification company SGS and luxury goods retailer, Shepherd of Sweden, has led to a transformation in footwear quality, reduced waste and increased production from one of the Swedish company’s principal European suppliers.Known for its hig ...moreThe key to a long life - a zest for living
Obituary: William ‘Bill’ Ramage – King Tanning, Apeco (01/05/1931-19/07/2024) ...moreBack in the day: When overseas travel was a real trip
Back in the day, the 1980s and 90s, before the time of cell phones and the internet, all design and marketing teams in the South African footwear industry had to visit the fairs and shop windows in Paris, Frankfurt, Bologna and Alicante in person to see the various new product releases from the design houses.This happened over a 3-week pe ...moreGrowing trend in the East towards factories staffed entirely by robots – rest of the world ‘being left behind’'While Europe is still focused on Industry 4.0, Asia is already gearing up for Industry 5.0, which emphasizes autonomy over mere connectivity.' ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Malawi: Imports, forex stifle local leather sectorThe Malawi Leather Industry Association says it is struggling to meet the annual demand for shoes, producing only 200 000 pairs against demand of 15.5 million, largely due to competition from imports and forex shortages hindering raw material imports.Data from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (Smedi), which is championin ...moreWorld class manufacturing was an eye-opener and a lessonThis is my last contribution to this series of events. I have thoroughly enjoyed stepping back into the days when travelling to find new designs was real travel.My final contribution is to say that with all that happened there were a lot of positives also achieved. I managed to visit some international manufacturing facilit ...moreObituary: Miles O’Brien – Sportshoe, Jordan Shoes (08/02/1950-26/10/2025) Some See the Crescent, He Saw the Whole of the Moon
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Miles O’Brien went to Progress College in Rondebosch and studied marketing at Cape Technikon. His first job was at Standard Bank in Plumstead for a short period of time, then onto the City Tramways for 10 years.Sportshoe was owned by Benny Stoltzman (who also owned Vogue Shoes) who had the agency for A ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- EU LEGISLATION UPDATE
There are a number of legal instruments working their way through the European Union’s (EU) parliament. Like many EU instruments, these statutory guides have a way of working their way into legislation that the rest of the world adopts. Like US legislation, especially the California Proposition 65 legal example, these laws sometimes ...moreFoot and mouth disease: Low automotive demand ‘a blessing’Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – “Obviously FMD has an effect, you only have to look at the meat prices to see that,” said Gerrie de Jager, MD of Brits Leather Group’s Rosslyn Tannery. “All the red tape and protocols for biosecurity associated with FMD add further costs to a stressed market.“Fortunately, the Sta ...moreNew Mossop sales manager: ‘I can’t see leather being replaced in our lifetime’
Wellington, W. Cape, SA – Samantha O’Neill has been appointed sales manager of Mossop Western Leathers (Pty) Ltd, responsible for local and international customers.With a background mainly in textiles, she said she nonetheless had a longstanding personal interest in leather.“I find my transition from the fashion industry ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Obituary: Ernie Wallis, Sheq Safety (14/07/1959 – 16/08/2025): In all things, hard, fair and respected
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Ernie was raised in a strong, principled household. Ernie’s father – a naval man with sharp business acumen and a steady temperament – and his mother, who was uncompromising in her pursuit of fairness, instilled in him the values of discipline, justice, and integrity that would define his l ...moreNot an afterthought – integrating healthcare technology at the very beginning
Today’s modern healthcare facilities have, respectfully, moved beyond bricks, mortar and medical equipment to now include infrastructure that embeds intelligence and resilience, providing the foundation for safer, smarter and patient-centric healthcare environment.In fact, the medical industry is making truly remarkable gains when i ...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 ...more
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