Wolverine World Wide seeks out alternatives to leather
14/11/2014
Our Leather Pipeline reports have, for some time, suggested the record prices would lead to some companies seeking solace in alternatives, but always outlines that demand remains strong from high-ends brands and the automotive sector.
Blake Kruger said: “A lot of our shoes are being re-engineered with materials that are not leather or not 100% leather. Frankly, the millennial consumer is growing up mostly in non-leather shoes.”
The US-based group’s vice-president of global sourcing, Scott Thomas, also told a conference organised by the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso) and the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America in Vietnam that the group plans to move most of its production there from China.
He said while 75% of the company’s supplies currently come from China, the group has plans to cut it to a third by 2020 and leave the rest to Vietnam, which supplies 15%, partly due to currency issues and rising wages.
Share this story:
