Made in South Africa' is back in business

Simple slip-ons have been the secret ingredient in Rachmat Thomas' success story.The fashion entrepreneur's shoe factory used to employ 90 people, but these days demand from South Africa's largest apparel retailers is so high that she needs the skills of 300 workers.


"The success story about this pump is that it is all handcrafted," says Rachmat Thomas, the managing director of Chic Shoes Manufacturers."

And the secret about this pump is that you can actually fold it up and put it into your handbag."When she started the company in 2005, the team produced 600 pairs of shoes a day. As demand declined, Thomas had to lay off some workers to cope with overhead costs.

Refusing to give up, she approached the Woolworths chain and in 2010 secured a contract to produce 5000 pairs of shoes. Since then, demand has shot up."

Now we are now delivering 13,000 to 14,000 pairs per week," Thomas says proudly. Clothing Trends After perfecting their footwear, the company qualified for a program sponsored by Woolworths which helps local suppliers with technical and financial support.


Programs such as this aim to reverse a trend in South African apparel manufacturing. Over the past 10 years, competition from China has hit South Africa's clothing manufacturing sector hard. As factories closed, market share dwindled.