200 Years with Clarks
Somerset to the world. Clarks: the shoe brand that has been around the world and back in its 200 years, bringing into its legacy countless collaborations and stylistic ventures.
Liam Gallagher for Clarks’ ‘Somerset to the World: 200 Years’ Documentary. Photo available via Clarks. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
To think of how much has changed in the world’s last 200 years is staggering. How could any brand’s designs travel across the centuries and still land in today’s relevance? Clarks may be one of the few, or the only, testimonies we can turn to in hopes of answering that question. Their answer has everything to do with craftsmanship and heritage. 1825 in Somerset, England, is where Clarks has its beginnings. 200 years forward and here we are celebrating the brand’s legacy and cemented place in footwear’s history, present, and future.
Clarks, as we have known them, are most recognized from the Desert Boot, Desert Trek, and the Wallabee, which came into the picture 100+ years after the brand’s inception. To go back to the start, though, the brand’s original design was a slipper that was innovatively created from the cut-offs in James and Cyrus Clark’s leather tannery. Very rural and at that time not connected with the rest of England, or the world for that matter, the people of Street in Somerset were encouraged into this sort of innovation to produce goods. Important context is that as a Quaker-founded company, social activism and community are permanently embedded in the brand. To stick around for so many years predicates a willingness to evolve with time and culture. To see how Clarks moves from its unassuming beginnings to a worldwide affection calls on these values and tells a story of how a brand’s designs can defy expectations.
Clarks has its roots in England, but the growing interconnectedness of the world (and colonialism) facilitated their semination to other cultures. Jamaica most deserves first mention of this as Clarks can largely credit their earliest subcultural popularity to the Jamaican dancehall scene of the 60s and onward. The shoes became a status symbol, as the island’s British colonial influence brought a perceived elevation of their goods and styles. The already popular Clarks in England came to represent the counterculture movement in Jamaica. Rudeboys, together with ska and reggae musicians, adopted these styles in an act of both aspiration and rebellion. The appeal of British imports may have sparked the popularity, but the Jamaican people have made Clarks their own, now inseparable from the brand’s history. Jamaican culture brought a vibrancy to the brand that could’ve likely not been found in England alone. Clarks’ Dancehall collection, one of many tributes to the Jamaican + Clarks history, honors this link.
Clarks & Dancehall campaign. Photo available via Clarks. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
The brand’s ensuing popularity in the U.S. is also thanks to Jamaican culture, as Jamaican immigrants brought the styles to New York City in the 80s and onwards. The hip hop community, in particular, embraced these styles, as many were striving to maintain the close link between hip hop and the Caribbean diaspora. In the neighborhoods of NYC, specifically Brooklyn, the Clarks Wallabee began its rise toward one of the most beloved styles in American hip hop. Ghostface Killah (self-described Wallabee champ), Raekwon, and Slick Rick are but a few legends who propelled Wallabees to global and street-credited popularity. Since then, Wallabees have racked up countless mentions in lyrics and have been, and are still, seen on the feet of hip hop’s most revered figures. In the years since, Clarks has teamed up with Slick Rick, Wu-Tang Clan, and Drake for special collections. Even more, Clarks teamed up with the multidisciplinary creative Set Free Richardson to produce the 2022 documentary titled Clarks and New York-Soles of the City, a beautiful tribute to Clarks’ beloved status in the U.S. hip hop scene.
Ghostface Killah and Raekwon in Wallabees for the New York-Soles of the City project. Photo available via Clarks. ©All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Yet another hotspot for Clarks’ international recognition is in Japan, specifically Uru-Harajuku, one of the most well-known fashion districts in Shibuya and home to the Urahara kei. Clarks played a role in the birth of this fashion scene, harking back to the 60s when Ivy League and British prep became popular in youth styles. Through the following decades, and as U.S. hip-hop and skate culture took hold, Clarks once again held on for the ride and continued to cement their styles in Japanese streetwear. This history was honored in AW24 with the Clarks Originals Harajuku Collection and the release of a documentary directed by Taichi Kamura.
All of this history comes together as Clarks celebrates their 200th anniversary this year. To celebrate, the brand has produced a film, book, museum exhibit, and style collaborations. For the film, Clarks teamed up once again with Set Free Richardson to produce a documentary marking their milestone and tracing their evolution and impact around the world. From Somerset to the World: Clarks 200 is narrated by Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) and contains interviews with a cast of celebrities and designers who share their perspectives on how Clarks has been able to build a legacy spanning two centuries and maintain a high standing with such seemingly varied groups. The doc debuted in January at Les Bains during Paris Fashion Week and offers both personal and general stories of the brand and its profound impact on people. The documentary is moving, providing a view into these epicenters around the world that adopted Clarks and embedded within them stories of heritage, music, and meaning.
The reach of Clarks cannot be overstated. We see throughout all of the international threads of Clarks appreciation a paradox that plays a significant role in the brand’s lasting legacy: simultaneous versatility and solidity. Versatility in the myriad of ways the shoes have been styled and solidity in the consistency of their intergenerational dependability. Diving into the history of the brand makes clear the power of Clarks to cross boundaries and challenge categorization. The countless collaborations and honorary documentaries also convey the power of authentic storytelling and how Clarks’ remarkable history has been forged by cultural exchange.
The integrity of their designs never changed, even if the cultures they found themselves in were across the globe from their origin. This is what sets apart a brand from others, an ability to embrace where their legacy takes them. The Clark brothers of 1825 could have hardly envisioned creating shoes that would symbolize Jamaican rudeboys in the 60s or the 90s NYC hip hop scene. Embracing and honoring how their shoes have been adopted, through documentary projects and collaborations, signifies cultural appreciation. Beyond this, it shows a profound understanding of the power of fashion to act as a cultural symbol. Communities of immigrants and subcultures of people around the world facing opposition have been tied to Clarks and much like these groups, Clarks aren’t going anywhere.
