Whether hearing the word ‘Clarks’ instantly conjures up images of the playground, the dance floor or the catwalk it’s safe to say that when it comes to British style this footwear brand is amongst the most legendary. So when the opportunity arose to take a tour of the Clarks Archive (or ‘Clarkive’ as I like to call it) I jumped at the chance of taking a deep dive into 200 years of shoemaking history. So popping on my beloved Desert Treks I hit the long and not so winding road down to Street in Somerset to tick a very special box on my British brand visit bucket list. Upon arrival I was ushered through the barrier and straight past a shoe sitting by the entrance that was the size of a small car, which added to the Willy Wonka style of levels of excitement I was experiencing. A feeling that was only heightened upon entering a room whose walls were decorated with well over 100 years worth of Clarks advertising posters. Rather than weaving my footwear findings into a narrative piece I have instead decided to compile a top ten of the things I unearthed during my day as a ‘Raider of the Lost Clarks’.
VINTAGE BOXES OF CLARKSArtoo Dee-Shoe - Whilst Clarks have gained a strong reputation over the past 15 years for their amazing collaborations with serious style icons (including everyone from Supreme to Salehe Bembury) it appears that this isn’t a new phenomenon. Way ahead of the curve, Clarks were making cool pop culture connections back in the nineteen seventies! I know this because I spied a ‘Star Wars Collection’ poster that featured a variety of chunky silhouettes named after various characters from the world’s greatest sci-fi film. Though not pictured I really do hope that there was an accompanying shoe-horn shaped like a lightsaber to help you slide into your pair of Darth Vaders.
STAR WARS COLABORATION ADVERTKeep it in the Family - Part of the archive tour involved us meeting up with an actual member of the Clarks family (who still own 49% of the business), a fascinating man named Ben Lovell. Who actually left the business to start up his own range of shoe shops in Philadelphia whilst still keeping his hand in by remaining as a Director at Clarks. Ben gave a brilliant overview of the Clarks story including how it was actually the thought of not being able to get paid or married for 10 years during his rug making apprenticeship that caused founder James Clark to seek out his shoe making side hustle. Later in the day I sidled up to Ben to ask him what his favourite Clarks silhouette was, imagining that the nephew of Nathan Clark (the guy who invented both the Desert boot and Desert Trek) would obviously choose something now residing in the Originals range. So imagine my shock when my new best mate Ben told me it was either a best-selling lady’s sandal or a school shoe that were closest to his heart because he had seen first hand how the success of these incredibly popular silhouettes had positively impacted on the business. I really couldn’t argue with Ben’s logical answer even if it didn’t have a suede upper and a crepe sole.
CLARKS FAMILY ALBUMMeeting Peter- The next section of the tour took us deep into the actual Clarks archives, where two rooms each with a vast line of vertical carousel shelves offered up a number of gems. Staffed by a knowledgeable chap called Tim he showed us all manner of good stuff, from a dexterity puzzle used to ascertain the skill set of new starters through to those foot measuring gauges that can give you an out of body experience when used the right way, this felt like a truly unique collection. In between items Tim also explained that the Quaker movement that the Clarks family came from were particularly adept at preserving their past and retaining historical documents. Which meant that alongside all the amazing footwear and point of sale artwork from the last 100 years there was an equal amount of paintings, photos and journals relating to the previous 100 years too. Having read and written about the legendary ‘Brown Peter’ sheepskin shoes that kickstarted the Clarks brand I was completely blown away when Tim proceeded to take out a box which contained a surprisingly pristine pair of these truly seminal slippers.
THE BROWN PETER SLIPPERSuffragette City - Another big surprise that was pulled out from those shelves was a proliferation of civil rights artwork. Beautifully designed posters and banners that illustrated the Clarks family’s involvement in the Suffragette and anti-slavery movements. A reflection of the brand’s strong Quaker ethics and abolitionist beliefs whilst perhaps also explaining why Andy Burnham always seems to be wearing a pair of Wallabees.
A Familiar Face - Speaking of Mayors and Clarks, we also noticed one of British Attire’s actual ancestors featured in a painting that was hanging up on one of the walls of the archive. The man in question was John Cheetham who was mayor of Hyde in the Victorian era and who our co-founders Jenny & Andrew are direct descendant of. The painting in question being ‘The Meeting of the Council of the Anti-Corn Law League’ from 1850 which also included a member of the Clarks family getting together to force the abolition of the deeply unpopular corn laws. Though it’s impossible to make out the brand of footwear that everyone is wearing in the picture there’s definitely a few pairs of Brown Peters getting worn from what I can make out.
JOHN BRIGHT AND JOHN CHEETHAMGolden Boots - The next piece of Clark's POS history revealed yet another Mancunian (kind of) hero. Prior to his lucrative sponsorship deal with adidas and his marriage to Posh Spice, David Beckham was the face (or should that be feet?) of Clark’s sportswear line. Responsible for quite possibly the first ever bladed football boots, Cica Blades - just like their choice of model - were way ahead of the game and soon copied by the world’s biggest football boot brands.
CICA BLADES ADVERT
CICA BLADESBuilt to Laest? - In shoe-making terminology have you ever wondered where the word ‘Last’ comes from? I’d always assumed that it was something to do with being built to last as once made they tend to be used for years and years don’t they? Turns out I was wrong, the real reason is that the word comes from ‘Laest’ which is an old English word meaning ‘Footprint’. That’s a footwear FACT.
The Clarks Spirit - Without wishing to drop any members of the security team in it, I did hear a rumour whilst being shown around about another type of tour on offer at the historic Clarks HQ. Apparently, when most of the staff have gone home and the sun’s gone down, one of the security guards takes those who are brave enough on a guided ghost tour of the factory. I could gain no further info on these unofficial excursions so I can only imagine the supernatural encounters to be had with superbly shod spectres such as the Polyveldt Poltergeist, Wallabee wearing werewolves and Dracula in Desert Treks.
You’ve worn the shoes now meet the Last - If you’re reading this and thinking ‘it’s not fair I want to have a look around the archives of the world’s most legendary footwear brand too’ then you’re in luck. The good folk at the Clark’s factory revealed on the tour that later this year they will be opening up their state-of-the-art shoemakers museum later this year. Where you too can have the time of your life, lifting the lid on 200 years of phenomenal footwear that covers everything from slipper making Quakers to collabs with Supersonic Shakermakers.
Somethings are worth the wait - Having been writing about Clark’s shoes for over twenty years and wearing them for over twice as long as that, getting to visit the factory had been something I’d longed to do for ages. Though a little overdue the visit lived up to my expectations and left me wanting to go back and spend more time gazing at the pair of Desert Trek found stashed in a water tower and discovering all the different variants of the Oberon that have ever existed. So a massive thanks to Jonathan and the rest of the Clarks staff who really looked after us, as well as the brilliant British Attire team for making a suede and crepe shoe loving man very, very happy.