Whether in 1825 or 2023, Clarks remains synonymous with sportiness and elegance at the same time. And today it adapts to the times through a project dedicated to the future. Marcelino Sambé and Sonny Hall tell us about it
The history of the British shoe brand began in 1825 Clark’s. As the brothers James And Cyrus Clark make a pair of sheepskin slippers in their own tannery a few miles from Glastonbury. But the company’s year of success is 1883 thanks to the so-called “hygiene line”, the first shoe model that adapts to the shape of the foot. The invention takes shape under the direction of Wilhelm, the son of James, who then patented it. The Clarks archive currently contains over 22,000 styles and revolutionary shoes that have shaped entire generations and combine comfort and timeless elegance. For example the desert boots Designed and launched in 1950 by Nathan Clark, James’ great-grandson, it was the favorite shoe model of the Italian and French 1968-year-olds, chosen for the revolts of workers, students and citizens with a passion for politics. The motivation? They are rainproof, keep feet cool and prevent sudden slips. Even the naturesjust as sporty as it is casual and appeared at the end of the 80s, or the Trigenic Flexa modern classic in the making, have shaped the development of the English brand.
FOR THE WORLD HEAD: THE NEW CLARKS PROJECT
But the cornerstone of Clarks shoes is the combination of three elements: the shape, hand-carved from a single block of hornbeam, advanced construction techniques and contemporary technologies. Coming for the second time is For The World Ahead, a project starting in 2022 that addresses societal change by amplifying the resonance of the brand’s products. The poet and the artist will take part in it in 2023 Sonny Hallthe principal dancer of the Royal Ballet Marcelino Sambe and model and actress Jourdan Dunn. Now members of the “Clarks Collective” who support their projects by highlighting them. The end? Sharing everyone’s stories and visions for the future, and sparking new conversations about social impact with an ever wider and more sensitive audience. The two new models, the female Torhill Bee and the male Torhill Hi, remain connected.
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CLARKS’ TORHILL HI AFTER MARCELINO SAMBÉ AND SONNY HALL
“It is very stimulating to be part of a project based on what is to comesays Sambé, who believes he can be a useful figure for underprivileged children and young people like himself, from a social center on the outskirts of Lisbon. On par with Sonny Hall, a successful young poet who was recently hosted by Trinity College Literary Society and redeemed himself through poetry after not completing his studies. According to him the torhill Hello I am “a mix of past and present, tradition and innovation“, in addition to “extremely comfortable and enveloping‘ as experienced by the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. What do you know about shoes that pass?whole days in ballet slippers“. Thus, the product, a mix of the iconic Wallabee style and the Big Gripper soles inspired by the 90s, becomes the perfect ally for those who want to face change by walking alongside young people living in the art have found an outlet and a reason to live. Elegance in the perfect English style as a priority.
Giulio Solfrizzi