S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol. 92 No. 02 February 2026
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Upfront
- ‘If footwear manufacturers want to supply chains, they have to trigger the viable ideas. It’s not retail’s responsibility’, says NCRF director Michael Lawrence.
- An export success story: Weef – the art of taking an extravagance and making it an essential, globally. Dévan Swanepoel explains.
09 Shoe Fairs
- Mipel/Micam attract 20 000 visitors.
11 Sustainability
- Plastics manufacturing: Sustainable PU production without toxic isocyanate.
13 Noticeboard
- Obituary: George Geyser, Dancewell: From ballet pumps to clown shoes, a shoemaker who could make, literally, any shoe.
- Obituary: Rolf Oltmanns, PMC: His philosophy had an impact far beyond the businesses he led.
- Obituary: Edward W. Bailey, CDB Holdings: A good and wise man from a different era.
17 Statistics
- Preliminary trade statistics December 2025.
Advertisers in this Issue
Arena Trims (OFC, 02, 07), East Asian Import & Export (02), Ethekwini Leather (05), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (04), Jumbo Footwear (11), Haesloop Agencies (17), iSync Solutions (13), Kaytex Belts (14), Leather Finishing Products (08), Saddler Belts (12), SAFLEC (16), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (18), Shotland Packaging (10).
- ‘If footwear manufacturers want to supply chains, they have to trigger the viable ideas. It’s not retail’s responsibility’
South African clothing manufacturers whose strategy is to supply chain retailers are, by and large, reaching sustainable agreements with their customers. South African footwear manufacturers who have the same business model are yet to make similar inroads.That’s the assessment of National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF) executive ...moreeThekwini Footwear & Leather Cluster panel discussions and presentations
The EFLC panel discussions and networking dinner on 19 February included chain retail, manufacturing, and union representatives, municipal, provincial and national government officials, a successful exporter, a representative from Amazon South Africa speaking about potential for local suppliers, and the MD of Messe Frankfurt SA speaking a ...moreWeef: The art of taking an extravagance and making it an essential – globally
Dévan Swanepoel of Cape Town manufacturer Weef makes products that no-one actually needs, but which a sizeable percentage of his target market wants – especially after they’ve been exposed to the enthusiasm, energy and visual appeal of Weef’s ‘handmade leather statements’: leather ties, leather bowties ...moreMipel/Micam attract 20 000 visitors
Milan, Italy – Micam and Mipel this month attracted over 20 000 visitors, a little over half of them international, led by France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Greece in Europe, and Japan and the United States from the rest of the world. A little over half of the 795 exhibitors were also from outside Italy.“This edition of ...moreObituary: George Geyser, Dancewell Footwear (02/02/1941-17/11/2025): From ballet pumps to clown shoes, a shoemaker who could make, literally, any shoe
Durban, KZN, SA – George was born in Pietermaritzburg into a family with deep footwear industry roots – his father, Martin, joined Eddels in 1924 at age 12. His uncle, ‘Kork’ Geyser, worked in the industry in Durban, as did Kork’s sons, Rudolph ‘Rudi’ and Leon. Rudi’s son, Brandon, of EVA In ...moreObituary: Rolf Wilhelm Oltmanns, PMC Group (24/08/1944-13/12/2025) His philosophy had an impact far beyond the businesses he led
Pinetown, KZN, SA – It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Rolf Oltmanns on 13 December 2025, at his holiday apartment in Cape Town.Born on 24 August 1944, Rolf was a respected and longstanding figure in South Africa’s footwear and manufacturing industries. He served with distinction as Managing Directo ...moreSustainable polyurethane production without toxic isocyanatePolyurethanes (PUR) are found in many products, such as upholstered furniture, foam or insulation materials, flooring, paints and even medical catheter tubes. The production of these high-demand plastics, however, relies on toxic isocyanate. Fraunhofer researchers have now developed an alternative production process using harmless dicarba ...moreObituary: Edward W. Bailey, CDB Holdings (10/03/c1939-31/01/2026) A good and wise man from a different eraWritten more as a reminder of his participation in the industry than as an obituary.Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – Ed was Managing Director of CDB Holdings Pty Ltd. This entity, over a period, controlled Colin D. Bailey (Pty) Ltd, Fashion Components, Arrow Glove Works and Valhalla Leather Production, all of which would be known to th ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas
Chinese sportswear brand Anta counts Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu among its brand ambassadorsChina's economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes.Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative's factory and now he was going to sell them. The mo ...moreRetail: ‘If you can’t make what’s needed, retail can’t sell what you make’“I have had a consistent message for manufacturers from when the Masterplan started,” said Michael Lawrence, executive director of the National Clothing Retail Federation (NCRF). “Bring us what can sell to consumers, and we’ll buy it. There are some caveats, of course, around issues like value, design, branding, su ...morePalm moves into sports sponsorship as terraPOD signs landmark contract with KZN women’s rugby
Durban, KZN, SA — Palm Footwear Manufacturers’ terraPOD safety footwear brand has upped its marketing campaign after signing a renewable, 1-year sponsorship agreement with the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union (KZNRU) to support the growth and development of women's amateur rugby across the province.Believed to be the first partnershi ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- MONEY FROM WASTE
Europe has borne the difficulties and the costs of converting to a bioeconomy – the lessons are there, free, for African businesses to learn and profit from. ...moreFMD: Government upbeat, little comment from industryPretoria, Gauteng, SA – The Department of Agriculture’s “strategic objective” is to vaccinate 80% of South Africa’s national cattle herd – which is around 14 million animals – against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by December this year, according to a media statement on 12 May.“The vaccinatio ...moreSARLEN – the journey so far
SARLEN was guided by a model policy framework for the leather value chain, adopted by all member states in 2023. It was supported by Deutsche Zusammenarbeit (German Cooperation), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), with the SADC Secretariat as the principal sponsor.The building blocks are ass ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Premier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforce
In high-risk industrial environments, protective clothing is far more than a uniform requirement — it is a critical component of workplace safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. For procurement professionals, safety managers and operational leaders, selecting the right supplier means finding a partner capable of ...moreProtecting the workforce: The critical role of PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is utilised in a work-environment as part of a larger prevention plan, because on its own protection is limited and may even provide a false sense of protection.An occupational disease prevention plan must be an actionable approach that identifies workplace health hazards, evaluates exposure, and i ...moreProactive or reactive? The importance of choosing the correct hand protection
Our aim is to deliver value to the user experience by ensuring optimal protection, compliance, and operational confidence in every task performed.Hand protection has evolved significantly in response to the critical need to reduce workplace injuries and strengthen safety performance across diverse industries.Modern advancements in materia ...more
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