Europe: Shoe purchase declines in Italy, in France and the UK. Growing prices in Berlin (while the price for bags falls). Online performs well

According to Confcommercio, in December, the total consumption in Italy increased by + 0.3%, if compared to November 2015, and by + 0.5% if compared to December 2015. Spending on clothing and footwear was stable when compared to November. However, on an annual basis, the consumption was reduced by 0.8%, continuing the downward trend already […]

Pakistan: Government incentives (75%) for “laboratory tests for tanned leather” and the import of raw material

Khurram Dastagir Khan is the Minister for Commerce of Pakistan. PTA (Pakistan Tanners Association) is the local leather industry association. While the world wonders about the working conditions of Pakistani leather labourers denounced by an Oxfam campaign, Dastagir Khan (who last January 19 inaugurated the International Leather Show in Lahore, in the photo) has announced […]

Chennai, India: a 3-day conference declares the importance of chromium as well as the necessity of developing sustainable alternatives to traditional tanning techniques

The central theme of the event was to find a way to make the tanning process sustainable and optimising through the development of practices, innovation and a”revolution”, as indicated by Anthony Covington, a professor at the University of Northampton.  As scheduled, several interventions focused on the strengths of the existing methods of tanning. Reviews the […]

France: what a nightmarish 2016 for Le Tanneur! At this point…

Very tough times for Le Tanneur, the French leather company, whose revenues heavily fell in 2016: -5,2% in profits, compared to 2015, with a 53,8 million euros overall turnover. Exportwise, the company lost profits (-36, 7%), both in their own brands (Le Tanneur and Soco) and in their license manufacturing for luxury brands (which account […]

CEC (along with Cotance) promote the “Digital TCLF 2025” project: digitizing process and new expertise

CEC, the Footwear Industry European Association, is aiming to digitize corporate processes. To this end they have launched “Digital TCLF 2025”, a two-year project about digital skills oriented towards textile, apparel, leather and footwear companies. “Digital TCLF 2025”has been created along with Euratex (textiles and apparel), Cotance (tanning industry) and IndustriAll Europe (union trades). They […]

USA raw materials report (January-November 2016): raw leather export goes down (-7,3%), wet blue slump (-21,7%)

Figures about raw leather are discrepant. As for sales volume, in the first 11 months of 2016 USA export went up (+11,4%).Conversely, overseas profits decreased considerably (-7,3%). According to USHSLA (the North American leather tanning association) report over last year Jan-Nov period, American companies exported 19,6 million pieces of refrigerated and salted leather and made […]

No news from Moscow about wet blue: export provisional ban extended until August

Pretty much expected: no chance (yet) for Russian wet blue. Disguising, since 2014, their true decision as a “provisional ban”, Moscow has actually extended wet-blue leather export ban until next August. Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has restated (as he had done at Lineapelle meeting last September) that Moscow’s decision is not being made […]

Good feedbacks from Lineapelle London with the attendance of the old and new fashion guard. February 1 & 2 it’s the time of the New York edition

  “Being here is important, not only in a commercial perspective but also because it give us the possibility to connect with a younger audience that you won’t meet at other similar events”. There were the words of one of the forty-one exhibitors of Lineapelle-London. The Ham Yard Hotel was the stage where participants had […]

Fashion celebrates the Chinese New Year with roster inspired merchandising

Every year, brands devote one-off handbags, shoes and clothing collection celebrating the Chinese New Year. 2017 is the year of the rooster, and the fashion world does not miss the chance to celebrate the lucky animal with special editions of their merchandise. White leather Gucci sneakers featuring a snakeskin ayers detail on the back the […]

Kering opens python farming in Thailand

French luxury group announced that it has bought (without communicating the amount of investment) a pythons breeding in Thailand. The structure will ensure compliance with the highest international standards of environmental and social sustainability, notified the holding company that owns Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent. It will begin producing adults pythons from 2018 […]

Leather treatment: Medio Chiampo identifies two outlaws utilities. “It’s a loss for other tanneries, for the plant, and the company.”

In Montebello, Medio Chiampo has discovered, suspended and fined for a total of 1.55 million euro, two subcontractors tanneries (liming and tanning), Riviera and Cumar, <for apparent discrepancies between delivered unloading and the uploading>, explains Giuseppe Castaman, president of the plant. The two outlaws utilities have been identified through a <an investigation that began last […]

Bangladesh: Collapse of a tannery roof injures five

There would be no external factor to cause the collapse of the ceiling of one of the tanneries in the district of Savar, Bangladesh. At the moment of failure, two workers were working to reinforce the cover, about 6 meters high. According to the local press, last January, 18, Fire brigade were engaged for hours […]

Milan Fashion Week ends celebrating leather, sheepskin and shearling. Next stop, Paris

Yesterday was the last day of the Milan Fashion Week. Among the highlights, there were Men’s and Women’s collections shown together as well as a new focus on luxury sportswear. The mountain was a big catwalks trend. From bomber jackets to shearling coats, there was a sporty feel paired with warm materials (wool, shearling, sheepskin) […]

ICEC adheres to ZDHC, “The only institution of global certification specialising in the leather business.”

It is with this claim that ICEC, the Institute of Certification for Quality Tanning Industry, joins ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals), the project for chemistry sustainability of the textile industry and the shoe signed by brand, agencies and associations. The matter “is complicated,” said Frank Michel, the executive director of ZDHC, and requires “a […]