When Cyrus and James Clark founded their eponymous label nearly 200 years ago, they did so with an aim of providing well-made quality products that looked the part, too. While the first three years of its existence were lent to creating luxury sheepskin rugs, the years since have seen Clarks Originals become emblematic in the footwear industry.Renowned for signature silhouettes like the Desert Boot and Wallabee, the Somerset-based outfit has infiltrated a myriad of subcultures spanning in its time, becoming uniform-like for everyone from Jamaican rude boys and U.S. Beatniks, to ‘70s mods and bands of ‘90s Britpop.While the brand’s heritage and popularity is firmly rooted in smart-casual shoes, more recently Clarks Originals has begun taking big steps into the ever-growing world of sneakers, a sector predicted to reach a value of $120 billion USD within the next five years. These recent moves into a more streetwear-oriented sphere have certainly caught attention, although this isn’t the brand’s first foray into the unknown.[
