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Leather International November/December 2023


Editorial


Editor Vera Dordick Sub-editor Wendell Vaughn Designer Martin Faulkner Group art director Henrik Williams Production manager Dave Stanford


Commercial Commercial director David Chai david.chai@progressivemediainternational.com Managing director William Crocker


Leather International (ISSN 1473-6314) (USPS 15982) is published six times a year by Progressive Media International.


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ith the autumn season of fairs behind us, the global leather industry finds itself in a place not too different from where it was at this point last year. Hide prices are at or below where they were the year before, footwear demand is struggling and a steady market is about as good as it gets.


The restoration game W


The fortunes of the luxury sector appear to be reversing their rising trend of the past few years while average consumers seem to keep spending – just not enough on goods that include leather. Despite the varying ups and downs, the leather sector continues to work on circularity and sustainability projects to reduce waste and make the industry ever greener.


In the past few issues, we’ve looked at some topics around reusing leather scraps and recycling the leather from finished goods. Now we address the growing demand for the preservation and restoration of shoes, bags and leather goods, a direct effect of efforts to convince consumers to buy less but buy better.


As is the case with many industries these days, for repair services, qualified help is hard to find. While we watch the global political and economic landscape become more complicated in these past few months of the year, all we can do is hope for peace and stability – for the industry as well as for global citizens.


Vera Dordick, editor In this issue...


News & numbers 4 Scottish Leather Group opens £14m ‘super tannery’ facility


4 Leather UK and LHTBI announce hardship fund to aid UK leather workers


4 Natuzzi reports Q2 2023 financial results


4 WWF joins forces with Leather Working Group and Textile Exchange to spearhead deforestation- free initiative


7 Nike’s first quarter reports revenue growth


7 Levi’s unveils sustainable leather sourcing strategy in latest report


Leather International / www.leathermag.com


Sustainability 8 The untold story of repair in the age of sustainability As consumers pivot towards sustainability, the leather repair industry emerges as an unsung hero, championing circularity and giving luxury goods a second life. Vera Dordick reports.


Raw materials 15 View from the US


The latest price and production data from the US.


21 Extracts from the Hidenet World Reports A snapshot of news stories, market trends, data and prices from leather markets across the globe.


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