Clarks

Shoes that entered the history of 1968 and the mythology of the protest movement. They are related to the “desert boots” first produced at the suggestion of General Montgomery for British soldiers fighting in Africa during World War II. Nathan Clark, the great-grandson of James Clark, who founded the company C & J Clark together with his brother Cyrus in 1825, saw them worn by fellow soldiers in Burma in 1945. The shoes are characterized by leather tanned in such a way that it becomes soft like velvet and Burma rubber for the sole. Desert boots were launched for the first time in 1950 at the shoe fair in Chicago. At the end of the 1960s they were the favorite of university students who, wearing these shoes and Eskimos, marched in demonstrations to protest. The “regulars” would wear them in light or dark brown suede; “dropouts” like Tiziano Sclavi, the inventor of Dylan Dog, preferred them in blue with red laces.
Starting from the historic and revolutionary Desert Boots and from other shoes that have by now become mythic, the British brand offers a fusion of styles for the Spring-Summer Collection. This brings the creation of Shellscape, the Mozie clogs (also printed in ostrich), Slickrock, and Millcreek, which are ideal in the city, and Desert Trek, reissued with new skins.
There is a change of look for the classic models Natalie and Tremont, now made in crocodile-printed calfskin, in brown and red. The aesthetic changes, but the traditional standards of comfort and sturdiness behind the success of the shoes do not.
The opening of the first Italian store, in Padua. It is the beginning of a commercial strategy that expects to strengthen the distribution network all over the world. It is a company in constant growth, with a turnover in 2000 of 2,276 billion liras thanks to distribution in 150 countries.
A continuation of the corporate policy of strengthening the distribution network and a retail reorganization desired by the British parent company. This time, the choice is an important commercial street in Milan, Corso Buenos Aires. The Clarks brand has been in Italy for more than 30 years. Since 1993 it has been distributed by Asak&Co. of Verona.