The Clarks Phenomenon (Transcript)
The Beginning of Clarks
The Clarks Brand, as we know it today, was established in 1825. The company was founded by brothers Cyrus and James Clarks in Somerset, England. By March 1828, James who was now 16, began working for his brother as unpaid apprentice. At this time, the company was making sheepskins rug among other materials. So to make a little extra money on the side, James began to use the sheepskins that couldn’t make the rugs, to make women and men slippers. The shoes were called Brown Petersburg and Brown Peter and would soon become a success when James cousin, Charles Gilpin began to sold the shoes in Bristol. In 1933, Cyrus brought in James as full partner and the company began trading as C&J Clark. With the help of their Quaker’s network, by 1943 the company expanded distribution all over the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia. Around this time, they were producing at least 12,000 pairs of shoes a year. The shoes became even more widely popular as the years went by. In 1851, at London’s Great Exhibition, the C&J Stand was visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Soon after, the company was awarded two exhibition medals in recognition of their services to British industry. Other accolades followed including medals at the 1855 Exposition de Paris and the 1862’s International Exhibition. Still, the company was facing a hard time due to mismanagement, quality control issues, and a looming economy, and so by 1963, C&J Clark was on the brink of bankruptcy. To solve the issue, Cyrus and James lean on their family and Quakers’ network and secured the funds to keep the business afloat. Then the company went through another change where the brothers have over control of the business to James’ 24 year old son, William Stephen Clark. Under William’s leadership, the business move to outworking to up production with new technologies as well moving to new factory. Then the business was spilt off in 1870 where one enterprise dealt with the sheepskin business and the other dealt exclusively with shoemaking. Throughout the rest of the 1800’s, the business developed wider varieties of shoes and up marking. Overseas marking expanded to the wider Europe, South America and South Africa. By 1897, the company was now producing 800,000 pairs of shoes a year. At the turn of the century, C&J started marketing shoes under different brands. The Tor Brand was the first in 1906 and then Sylvia was created in 1908 to market women dresses and walking shoes. And with this, the company grew. By all accounts, it was not until the late 1920’s that C&J Clarks started to trade under the name Clarks. And its logo that is still been used, was created in 1933 in a Paris hotel room by Williams’s grandson, Bancroft Clark. Now when World War II broke out, Clarks started to fulfilled military commission by making shoes for women working in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, airmen boots, demobilisation boots and reconditioned boots for the US military.Nathan & the Desert Boot
The war would become a turning point in Clarks history and one of the reasons was Nathan Clarke. Nathan was the son of Clarks’ director Roger Clark and the great-grandson of James Clark. As a teenager, Nathan worked at one of the Clark’s shoes factory where he gained experiences in shoe styling and pattern cutting. At the beginning of the War, Nathan volunteered in the British army where he was posted first in Burma, modern day Myanmar, and then was altered sent to India. While serving in the war, Nathan’s brother, Bancroft who at this time was serving as director of the company told him to be on the look out for inspiration for new footwear. With that been said, Nathan produced two sketches during his time. One was Chupplee - sandal inspired by a Indian shoemaker. The other was a boot to which Nathan later wrote, “I got the idea from crepe-soled rough suede boots which officers in the Eighth Army were in the habit of getting made in the Bazaar at Cairo. Some of these officers came to Burma, and this is where I saw them”.
Nathan would take these shoes made in Egypt, and adjust the design of the boots by reducing the number of eyelets from five to two. These boot would become the iconic Desert Clarks. Upon his return to England, Nathan realising his sketches were not put into full production, he create the samples himself. In fact, the company’s stock committee was not behind the manufacturing of the two shoes believing they would never sell. But Nathan, moving full steam ahead as head of Clark’s Overseas Division, would put the Chupplee and the Desert Boots, in production. The two shoes were then put on display at the 1949 National Shoe Fair of America where they caught the attention of Oscar Schoeffler, fashion editor at the Esquire. The Chupplee was featured in the 1950 issue of Appeal Arts, the sister company of Esquire and would soon come to the attention of the businessman, Bronson Davis. Davis approached Clarks to represent the company in the US and by May 1950, he was selling the Chupplee and the Desert Boot through his company, Ford-Davis Co. The Desert would become a huge success in US and riding off the shoes success, Bronson Davis became the president of Clarks of England Inc, in a few years. The Clarks of England Inc was the US division of the Clarks. Still, sales in the US would continue to grow immensely and by 1969, the Desert Boot, was the most exported shoe in North America by the British footwear industry. And of course, that stands true to the country which would become synonymous with Clarks - Jamaica. Clarks in Jamaica
In November 1911, Colonel Henry Emerson Smith became Clark’s first agent in the West Indies. Upon coming to Caribbean, he arrived with 96 samples of Clark shoes which would be sold on a commission of 5%. Still, the shoes didn’t do as well everyone expected and by 1921, the company closed their outlet in the region. In the later years of the 1920’s though, there were plenty stores across Jamaica which carried English brands such as Austin Reed, Saxone, Liberty and Burberry. But one stores in Jamaica was known to carry Clarks shoes and that was Nathan’s. Nathan’s, formerly known as Nathan & Godfrey, was a Jewish Jamaican store with outlets across the island. Its main outlet was on the corner of King Street and Barry Street in Kingston and at this time, was the largest department store in the English speaking West Indies. Al Fingers in his book, Clarks in Jamaica, stated that the Nathan’s store was probably the first store to sell Clarks on the island. The company’s sales did well enough in the 1920’s that Clarks would make them the sole Jamaica outlet by the 1930 and would remain so right up to the 1940’s. Nathan’s department store, however, would be bought by Abe Issa, making him the island’s top retailer. Another notably seller was Sinclair Henry Taylor. In 1933, Clarks went into business with Taylor, who had a showroom on Water Lane in Kingston. In the next few years, he travelled all over the island and the wider Caribbean selling Clarks, through his company, SH Taylor Ltd. As the 1950’s range on and the Desert Clarks grew in popularity, a man named Tony Thorner became in charge of Clarks distribution in the West Indies. According to Al Fingers, Thorner was told by his Trinidadian agent that young men in the region wanted their shoes with a sharp pointer toes and as such, the company altered the Desert Shoes to what we know today. Still, by the 1960’s, the Jamaican government was strengthening restrictions on the importation of footwear into the island to boost locally made footwear. So what Clark's did was to break their exclusive agreement with Nathan and Issa and create partnership with other stores on the island, including Hanna’s and Bardowell’s. This increased the number of Clarks available on the island. Still, given the popularity of the Clarks shoes on the island, notably the Desert Clarks, there was a brief moment that Clarks was looking into manufacturing Clarks on the island, when concerns arose that the Jamaican government would have a complete banned of imported footwear on the island. The Jamaican government was even looking into support the local manufacturing of the shoes but the company’s board eventually disapprove. Still, as reported in an article published in The Daily Gleaner on August 12, 1966 titled, “Briton Comes Sept To Teach Shoemaking”, a Clarks shoemaker named Robert Taylor was sent to the island to teach shoemaking to Jamaica Youth Corps. In years to come, Clarks would supply equipment to local Jamaican shoemakers. Nevertheless, due to the boost in availability of Clarks on the island, sales skyrocketed. By 1970’s, Jamaica was one of Clarks top-ten exporter countries with sales averaging £100,000 annually. But at this time, Clarks started to become very much apart of the the island’s identity and one group was to be given the credit - the badboys of Kingston Clarks Badniss
When Jamaica got independence in 1962, the promise of prosperity did not target the entire population. That means that the promise of prosperity for all, did not reach the disenfranchised populations. As such, disenfranchised blacks s well as Indo-Jamaicans, around the countries cities, as well as Indians, were regulated to urban slums. Born out of that racial and social divide, poverty and oppression were gangs. Still, even though they engaged in criminal activities, the politics of fashion was not lost on these gangs and for the young men of Jamaica, Clarks was the shoes of choice. From the late 1960’s, the shoes became even more popular among the gangs of Kingston and there was even some practicality for them wearing it. As the DJ and producer Jah Thomas said in an interview with Al Fingers, “When you have on Clarks, nobody nah hear you come. They’re so silent when you walk - cheese bottom dem call it - you don’t see a man squeeze up on you, you nah hear him when him ah come”. Notably dons who the shoes were popular with throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s include: Claudie Massop, Aston “Bucky Marshall” Thompson and Howard “Curly Locks” Hewitt. The shoes was also popular among members of Rastafari who according to Al Fingers, was attracted to the shoes by its “simplicity, durability and construction from natural materials”. With this in mind, the shoes became quite popular at the turn of the decade and to many young men in urban Jamaica it became a status symbol, especially when it comes to getting women attention. In a 2018 documentary directed by Clarks titled, Clarks Original - Major Stitch & The Rudeboys, veteran DJ Major Stitch states: “Looking a girl, in dose time, di first place she look is on yuh foot. An if you doh av a Clarks, you don’t stan a chance”
But it wasn’t not long before black inner city youth became targeted by the police because of the Clarks on the foot. See in their eyes, these poor boys from Jamaica should not be able to afford this British shoes, so they have to be dealing with criminal activities to afford a pair or even steal the shoes. In a 2021 documentary directed by Gabrielle Blackwood, titled Clarks and Jamaica, Jamaican musician Protoje’s states: “They wud lock up people for Clarks because you’re not supposed to have those things, you know wat I mean?”
DJ trinity in a interview with Al Fingers recalled his own experience with the Jamaican police. According to him, the police said: “You must be a thief, how else could you afford such expensive shoes?”
And so the arrest of black men wearing Clarks occurred across the Kingston and St. Andrew, specifically West Kingston. There is one noticeable incident during this time of this police tactic when during a polices officers led by Superintendent Joe Williams, raided a Sir Coxsone dance. He reportedly told the DJ to turn down the music and then declared: “All who’s wearing Clarks booty must go on that side of the dance, stand up over here suh. And who’s not wearing Clarks booty must go on this side”.
As reported, many men went shoeless that night having took off their shoes to join the no-wearing Clarks line. Still, this continued throughout the years and by early 1980’s the tactic was still been done. Notably criminologist and expert on Jamaican gangs, Dr. Claude McKay, recalled his father, Ronald McKay, using similar tactic to raid dances and cinemas as a member of the JCF Eradication Squad in the early 1980’s. As Major Stitch says,: “Once you have on a Clarks who is a rude boy. Dats how the police check it”
In his 2005 song, “The Master Has Come Back” off his widely acclaimed album, “Welcome To Jamrock”, Jamaican musician Damian “Jr Gong” recalls this discrimination against black men in the country and Clarks when he sings, “Long before Bogle start dance and still pon deh paper money, police lock up man fi them shoes.
That simply mean the station full up a bare Clark boot and Bally, from England weh spanking new”
But whatever notoriety the shoes had, did not stop the rise of its popularity - sales continued. As stated previously, by the early 1970’s, Jamaica was one of Clarks top-ten exporter countries with sales averaging £100,000 annually. But then in 1972, Michael Manley and the PNP came to power. And yes, like all things in Jamaica history, the Manley years ushered in a new era between the relationship with Jamaicans and Clarks. Ah Yes, The Manley Years
One of the policies implemented by the Manley-led PNP government in the early 1960’s was one meant to drive self-resilience of the nation’s agricultural and manufacturing sector.The highlight of this self-resilience initiative was Operation Grow -Grow What You Eat and Eat What You Grow initiative which in recent years has been brought back by Jamaican government. Another highlight was the prohibition of certain foreign made goods into the island - on that list was foreign made shoes. Now remember, even though Clarks is synonymous with Jamaicans, it is a British-made shoes and so, under this new government policy, Clarks was impacted. Therefore, in May 2023, when a ban was placed on the importation of Clarks, it ended the official and legal imports of Clarks into Jamaica. Still, that did not stop persons from getting the shoes into the island and they were so good at it, that many Jamaicans are still not even know that there was a point in history where the shoes was not allowed to be imported in the island. Persons like the distributor Tony Thorner, got the shoes into the island, by creating underground routes through Puerto Rico and Miami. Former director of the Clarks UK Division, Neville Gillibrand, states that persons with coffin business in Miami would stuff the Clark shoes in coffins to get the shoes through Jamaica customs. According to him, these coffin business persons became on of Mr. Thorner’s biggest customers. Clarks was also popular among reggae musicians at this time and when on tour in England would purchase Clarks in bulk to bring home. Many higglers across the country would have their relatives put the shoes in barrels to be sent back home. This informal importation of Clarks became one of the very reason, why even though not been allowed to imported country, the shoes continued to be hold up as the most popular footwear among Jamaican men in the 1970’s. This can be seen as any image of Jamaican black men the 1970’s, they are most likely wearing a variety of Clarks. And there were many varieties that were to choose from. The Rambler, the Dover, the Weaver, the Camaro, the Naturevelt, the Natalie, among others. But with Jamaicans, three designs were favourable: the Desert Boot which we have open about, the Wallabee, launched in 1967; and the Desert Trek, launched in 1971. Though, as any Jamaican will tell you, the Desert Trek is not called that on the island. See, the desert trek, became the first Clarks shoes to feature the “trek man”, that is, at the back of the shoes, there is a stitch of what looks to be a man hiking with a walking stick and a bagpack. Jamaicans though, interpret it as a man robbing a bank and the shoes is now known islandwide as "bank robber”. Still, the 1970’s saw reggae become a national identity and as many musicians gravitate towards the shoes, Clarks too solidified its position as apart of Jamaica’s national identity. When the Jamaica Labour Party came to power in 1980, many of the import restrictions were lifted and Clarks flowed into the country without issues. But by this dancehall was on the rise and those artist too gravitate towards the footwear. Popular paired with a diamond socks and mesh merino, these early dancehall artist continued to propel the Clarks popularity. As reggae musician Iba Mahr documents in his 2015 song, Diamond Sox, where the music video is ode to the early years of Jamaican dancehall,: “Inna mi diamond sox and me Wallabee Clarks
And Arrow shirt and me mesh marina
A red green and gold me inna
Well, when me step inna the scene yah
Inna mi diamond sox and me Wallabee Clarks
Arrow shirt and me mesh marina
I tell you say me inna yeah, oh, well”
And so the popularity of the shoes would remind steady and became a cultural status symbol throughout the decade and the next. Then, when Jamaican immigrants to the US, brought Clarks fashion with them, it gained the attention of Black Americans and coined a new fashion sense in that community. One of these persons who this had a major influence were Ghostface Killah, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan who was known for Wallabee been his choice of footwear. As he said in the documentary, Soles of the City: "How I got introduce to Clarks, the Wallees, it was the Jamaicans and Guyanese cats that was out there making money. And that came from Raekown projects, Park Hill.
The album cover art for 1996 debut album, Ironman, featured him with bandmate, Raekwon and Cappadonna, posing with multiple pairs of Wallabees. Nevertheless, the early 2000’s saw a somewhat decline in its popularity, primarily thanks to rap and Black American culture on the island. At this time, Nike’s, Jordans, Reeboks, become more popular. But then came March 2010, when then upcoming dancehall artist Popcorn ask his mentor, Vybz Kartel,
“A weh yuh get da new Clarks deh, daddy?”
Clark’s Resurgence
The release of Clarks by Vybz Kartel ft Popcorn and Gaza Slim, created a new age craze for the shoes. In the weeks following the release of the songs, it climbed major music charts in Jamaica, the Caribbean and the diaspora. Kartel then followed up the massive hit with Clarks Again and Clarks 3. Thanks to these trio of songs, sale of the shoes reached record levels, resulting in doubling of prices. As Popcaan stated to The Guardian in a June 2010 article: “Right now you can't go less than $10,000 Jamaican for Clarks. It was six or seven grand before the song. It's been a massive change, that people feel dem haffi have ‘em”
People had to have them alright as the craze also resulted in an increase of theft of the shoes on the island. In June 2010, police officer arrested two men who stole more than JMD$2million worth of Clarks shoes from shops in Linstead. Still, not only did Clarks skyrocketed on the island, but in the globally as well. As BBC 1Xtra DJ Robbo Ranx said at the time about the song’s influence: "Online, I went to order a pair of black ankle Deserts - sold out. You go out to find Clarks, you can't find Deserts. In my local in west London, there's none in there”
Furthermore, the Clarks company also saw major profits. The craze due to the song helped push the shoemaker’s bottom line over the 100 million mark worldwide. Gemma Merchant, senior account manager for Clarks Originals in the UK, told the Guardian that the company has seen "increased interest and demand in particular areas of the UK, shortly after the song became big in Jamaica”.Still Vybz Kartel and his song’s lasting impact has been its influence on a early millennial and Gen Z generation interest in the shoes and modern Jamaica fashion industry. As Lila Ike stated in that 2021 Clarks documentary: “in my generation Vybz Kartel an Popcaan come an just revolutionise it you know”
In years to come, other dancehall artist have followed in Kartel’s footsteps and have paid homage to the shoes. In recent years, there is Shenseea and Tommy Lee, “Bridgets and Clarks” and “Jahvillani, Clarks Pon Foot”. There is also been an increased of Jamaican women wearing the shoe brand. Musicians even, the most noticeable of its appreciators is Lila Ike who was also featured in that 2021 documentary. In 2020, the company launched a series of shoes in collaboration with Jamaican born - England footballer, Raheem Sterling. In March 2021, Clarks launched a collection of four shoes which pay tribute to Jamaica where a month later they followed up with the Gabrielle Blackwood directed documentary, Clarks and Jamaica. Today, the shoes has re-emerged its status as the it-shoes among Jamaicans. That a good and bad as there been many cases in Jamaican society of persons been attacked for stepping on someone’s Clarks. And in the most bizarre case, thanks to prime minister, Andrew Holness and his famous green desert clarks, the shoes has become a political marketing tool for politicians. But who would have that thought a shoes that was anonymous with alleged criminals in Jamaica 1960’s; a shoes that people had to sneak into the country in the 70’s, has today become the country’s unofficial national shoes.