Seabata Mahao
Having mastered the art of hand-crafting leather shoes that appeal to males, Leather Sole Works and Suppliers (Pty) Ltd is now ready to expand its product range to include a feminine line.
The leather manufacturer, which is steadily gaining traction for its excellent formal footwear range for men, is one of the few leather producers making their mark in the budding local manufacturing industry.
The company currently produces different kinds of leather products including men’s formal shoes, boots, unisex sandals, sleepers and belts.
The products come in different shades of leather including soft suede, nu-buck or calf leather and even furry leather.
The company also sells leather accessories and also repairs and refurbishes leather products.
It imports its leather and other supplies like soles and fasteners from South Africa, but it sources furry leather from a local tanner. Their products are recognised by the company’s “LSWS†logo inscribed on them.
LSWS’s products have been endorsed by well-known public figures like Lehlohonolo Mayeza, a renowned actor who has starred in a South African telenovela called Outlaws.
Tjeka Tjeka Aluminium Works has also commissioned LSW to custom-make a set of safety boots for its employers.
Mpumelelo Adontši, one of the owners of the business, told Newsday that the rising demand for women’s shoes has inspired their next business direction.
The business, which is operated by Mpumelelo and Sibusiso Adontši, currently employs six people of which two are women and four are men.
“We will soon manufacture feminine shoes. We are working on manufacturing different work shoes for women as they are highly in demand,†Mpumelelo said.
“Currently we are manufacturing casual, formal, school shoes, and different shoes for people with disabilities. These are the main products in our production criteria including all types of leather belts.â€
They use cow leather, and ship skin to make their eye catching shoe designs.
“We manufacture our sleepers from sheep skin and wool then we add colour and mould into different shapes. When we manufacture our shoes, we first design its pattern, cut it out, stitch it and mould it into different shapes we want,†he explained.
They build different shoe soles from scratch until it is in the shape they need for their design.
“Our shoes are made of genuine leather, and can last for up to five years depending on the conditions of usage. We use different colourants for our leather and we also use Golby products from South Africa for the care of our products,†Mpumelelo added.
Initially established under the name Star Foot Wear, and based at the Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation (BEDCO) building at Lakeside in Maseru, it rebranded to Leather Sole Works and Suppliers in 2016 and is now operating two branches.
The manufacturer has since relocated to Metcash Building, with the second branch operating from opposite the Old Bus Stop in Maseru.
