Durban, KZN, SA – Reunion Footwear had a slow start to the year, as did most local shoe manufacturers, with elections slowing the retail trade.

However, the second half picked up nicely and in particular our Angelsoft sandal production increased to 600 pairs per day and the brand/product is growing nicely year-on-year. 

Durban, KZN, SA - While local footwear manufacturing has dropped by 15% from January to August, footwear imports have risen by almost 35% in the same period, according to Jirka Vymĕtal, executive director, Southern African Footwear & Leather Industries Association.
“Imports this year to August were up, year on year, by 34.5% to 114 725 592 pairs, versus 85 312 624 pairs for the same period in 2023,” he said.

The FOB value of the imports rose 30% from R8 648 484 056 to R11 249 817 908, but the average price per pair of the imports dropped from R101.37 to R98.06 in the same period.

With the upswing in local production leading up to December, he expected total production to be 12.5% down on last year – which was itself down on 2022.

“Imports are getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper,” he said. “When there’s a discussion ‘in principle’ about buying locally, the chains will say importing isn’t just about price; they’ll mention factors like quick response sampling, new trends, new colours, etc.

“But when I talk to manufacturers who’ve negotiated with most chains, they say the first reaction is that their prices are out. The only thing they really care about is price.

“Bearing that in mind, SAFLIA and the unions have jointly engaged to find a way forward on this pricing issue. It seems apparent that some consensus for special dispensation has been discussed and has almost reached finality.” 

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA - South Africa will again have a source of locally made synthetic upper material when a new PU coating plant comes on stream in a year’s time.

Unica Textile Mills SA, a division of the Unica Group, is setting up its second manufacturing facility which will house its fully integrated PU plant.

“The state-of-the-art facility will conservatively have a monthly production capacity of 450 000 meters”, MD Amir Qasim said last week. “This will be a relief for the footwear industry, which has been finding it a challenge to stabilize its supply chain, due to limited or no local production of the material.”

The division currently produces PVC coated fabrics for tents and tarps, pool covers and industrial applications under its Polyvic brand.

He said that the group plans to bring in the latest technology from the leading manufacturer of PU plants in India. The plant will be capable of producing “all types” of PU fabrics, including embossed and printed materials.

The project is expected to be completed by November 2025. The group has recently acquired a 26 000 m² property for the facility, and the project team is working to meet the project deadline.

He said that Unica is also considering setting up a production line for its own knitted base fabric, as phase 2 of the project, further localising the contents of the material.

“We’ll start by producing materials for the footwear industry, then expand into furniture and automotive fabrics,” he said.

The Unica group was founded in 1999, and aims to locally produce all of its products. Currently the group has a staff complement of 800 employees which will rise to over 1 000 with the PU coating project.

The other 2 divisions of the group are Unica Iron & Steel, which is a secondary steel producer of light to medium structural steel, used in the construction industry and other industrial applications, and Unica Plastic Moulders, which produces moulded plastic products covering a wide market spectrum from furniture to packaging solutions. 

Bloemfontein, Free State, SA - The Free State is taking strain economically and politically.

If the “platteland“ (agriculture) suffers, we feel it in retail in Bloemfontein.

Bloemfontein has got a big middle class economy, but they’re also battling.

But in spite of that, business has been fair.

Our coastal branches – Knysna, George and PE – are doing exceptionally well.

For Black Friday and the festive season, we focus more on major and small appliances and electronics and we are gearing ourselves for a good November and December. 

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – The winners of the 2024 Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards will be announced on 20 November (Wednesday) at the Mount Nelson Hotel.
There are 11 categories, and a full list of categories and finalists can be found at https://twyg.co.za/awards/
The footwear, accessories, farm-to-fashion, and retail finalists are (I have included the websites where possible):

The Accessory Award is for crafting accessories from sustainable materials, favouring ethical labour practices and limiting the use of toxic chemicals.
- Athena A [https://www.brandathenaa.co.za/]
- Project Dyad [https://www.projectdyad.com/]
- Sealand Gear [https://sealandgear.com/]

The Footwear Award is for quality, durable footwear made with sustainable materials, ethical labour practices, and limited toxic chemicals.
- Moo Incognito
- Sage & Sunday [https://sageandsunday.com/]

The Farm-to-Fashion Award is awarded for transparent and traceable supply chains, regenerative practices, and 100% natural fabric is behind this designer or brand’s fossil-free materials and processes. Production requires little to no toxins and harmful chemicals.
- African Expressions [https://www.africanexpressions.co.za/]
- Pianna Yarns [https://piannayarns.co.za/]
- Yarnh [https://yarnh.com/]

The Retail Award is based on championing the circular economy through swap shops, selling pre-loved clothing, garment rental and other innovations. This winner is known for supporting sustainable design and manufacturing and supporting local producers and supply chains.
- 44 Stanley [https://44stanley.co.za/]
- Onrotate [https://www.onrotate.com/]
- The Local Edit [https://www.thelocaledit.com/za]

The Changemaker Award presented by Markham. An overall winner honoured for their high scores in each design category, the recipient of the Changemaker Award recognises a designer embracing sustainable and circular practices in their work. The winner receives a grand prize of R100 000 to further their career.
     Says Twyg founder Jackie May: “There are some new and exciting names in the mix this year and we congratulate all our very deserving finalists! We’d also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors and partners for their invaluable support – without them, this annual project would not be possible. A heartfelt thank you to Markham, Country Road, H&M South Africa, Polo South Africa, Husqvarna and Royal Flush Gin for their partnerships and commitment to making this initiative a success.”