S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol. 92 No. 01 January 2026
Click the advert links for more info. • Download PDF
IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- Geopolitical uncertainty ‘may provide opportunities for local manufacturing’, says NCRF director Michael Lawrence.
- ‘Improbable’ shoe sterilizing device ‘has merit’, says podiatrist Anette Thompson.
- Zambia and Sierra Leone update trademark regulations.
- Richemont maintained strong momentum with sales up 11% for its 3rd quarter.
08 Shoe Technology
- Running shoes: For every ‘technological breakthrough, there are feet that just aren’t suitable, writes Richard Kushlick.
13 Insights with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Retail’s future depends on hospitality – the Franklin & Poe story.
- The 3D awakening – how Fibbl is changing the way shoes are sold.
15 Noticeboard
- Obituary: Berrick Salmond, one of those for whom shoemaking was a passion.
17 Statistics
- Preliminary trade statistics November 2025.
Advertisers in this Issue
Arena Trims (02), East Asian Import & Export (04), Footwear Education (11), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (OFC), Haesloop Agencies (16), iSync Solutions (05), Kaytex Belts (06), Leather Finishing Products (10), Saddler Belts (08), SAFLEC (14), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (06), Shotland Packaging (18), Vandan Engineering (12).
The Next Issue:
- Out on 20 February 2025. Deadline for submissions 13 February.
- ‘Improbable’ shoe sterilising device, nominated for IgNobel Awards, ‘has merit’
A tongue-in-cheek article appeared in multiple outlets last September about 2 academics at Shiv Nadar University outside Delhi, India, who’s prototype antimicrobial shoe rack was among the winners in last year’s ‘Ig Nobel Awards’ organised by the journal Annals of Improbable Research. They designed a UVC light-equi ...moreRunning shoes: For every ‘technological breakthrough’ there are feet that just aren’t suitable
In the October 2025 issue of S&V Footwear & Leather Goods, columnist Tinashe Mandirahwe quoted and commented on a podcast in which Xero Shoes co-founder Steven Sashen claimed that a major sports brand secretly tested a more natural shoe that cut injury rates by half compared to their top-selling model — and then shelved it. That prompted Richard Kushlick, ‘master footwear fitter, educator and podocalceist’, to investigate and respond. The central claim of the podcast – that brands knowingly withhold styles which could improve foot health – is wrong, he says, but what IS true is that the multiple running shoe technologies available all suit SOME people. ...moreThe 3D awakening - How Fibbl is changing the way shoes are sold
Footwear brands are starting to change how they show products online, and the Nov 4, 2025 episode of Inside the Shift with Fibbl explains why. Fibbl helps companies replace old photo-heavy workflows with one detailed 3D model that can be used for almost everything — website images, videos, ads, social m ...moreOne of those for whom shoemaking was a passion
Obituary: Berrick Patrick Salmond – Bata Shoes, Cameo Components, Bernelli Footwear, Dr Rae Shoe Manufacturers, NR Footwear (18/08/1950-06/12/2025) ...moreGeopolitical uncertainty ‘may provide opportunities for local manufacturing’Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – International geopolitical uncertainty “may provide new opportunities for local sourcing of footwear”, National Clothing Retail Federation of SA (NCRF) executive director Michael Lawrence said this week.Referring to the CTFL Masterplan set up to encourage the growth of local manufacturing through ...moreZambia and Sierra Leone update trademark regulationsSupplied by Adams & Adams. See https://www.adams.africa/ for the full articles.On 31 December 2025, Zambia ushered in a new era for trademark protection with the enactment of Trade Marks Act No. 11 of 2023 (the Act), following the signing of Statutory Instrument No. 86 of 2025. The Act repeals the long-standing Trade Marks Act of ...moreRichemont maintained strong momentum with sales up 11% at constant rates for its third quarter ended 31 December 2025Geneva, Switzerland (15 January 2026) – Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is a Swiss/South African luxury goods manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer listed on SIX Swiss Exchange with a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Richemont operates in three business areas: Jewellery Maisons with Buccellati, Ca ...moreRetail’s future depends on hospitality - the Franklin & Poe storyIn a recent Stitchdown Shoecast conversation, this YouTube interview captures Franklin & Poe co-founder Andrew Li reflecting on what it takes to build a modern specialty retail business rooted in heritage footwear, denim, and genuine community. Speaking shortly after relocating the Philadelphia store just five bloc ...more
PRICE:TBA
PRICE:TBA
PRICE:TBA
Footwear Industry Articles
- Stokies: New owner plans to resurrect a homegrown brandScottburgh, KZN, SA – Trendy Shoes, a KZN South Coast retailer which also has its own footwear factory producing footwear for its own 3 stores, bought the long-established but run-down brand, Stokies, from Faulks Footwear, which has now closed. Hussain Khan answers our questions.What attracted you to Stokies?What attracted us to Sto ...moreKen Riches: Reflections on an extraordinary life: Those who can, do – those who can do it even better, teach
It’s been 18 years this month since Ken Riches died. Here is a glimpse into what lay under that fairly protective exterior.Ken Riches, one of our country’s true footwear experts, passed peacefully on to that final production line in the sky on 11 August 2008. He had lived through the rapidly changing times from just after the ...moreManufacturer-buyer event: Results still to be tallied, but broad enthusiasm for more
The 2-day Retail Buyer Engagement & Manufacturer Onboarding Programme on 01 and 02 July was part of an effort to kickstart the R-CTFL Masterplan – which, from a footwear perspective at least, has appeared stalled.It was sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and implemented through the R-CTFL Masterplan Footwea ...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 ...moreOrganic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead
Washington, DC, U.S.A. (23 June 2026) — Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorde ...moreISTT offers free entry level leather course to encourage trainingGrahamstown, E. Cape, SA – The International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) is offering one of its short online courses, Introduction to the Leather Industry, for free.The course is suitable for entry level tannery staff.It is also suitable for anyone in footwear, leather goods, furniture and upholstery manufacturing, retailing ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- RealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurement
RealPPE Marketplace is a 100% black women-owned B2B PPE marketplace built for South African industry. Founded after years of witnessing safety officers and procurement teams lose time to fragmented suppliers, inconsistent pricing, and missing documentation, RealPPE was created to bring structure and reliability to industrial PPE sourcing. ...more2nd 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 ...moreSAPEMA demands action against retailer Curve Gear over selling noncompliant safety footwearThe Southern African Protective Equipment Marketing Association (SAPEMA) has reported retailer Curve Gear to the National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) for selling “possibly noncompliant” safety footwear.The allegation is because Curve Gear’s safety footwear doesn’t carry mandatory marking: Its NRCS app ...more
© S&V Publications
