Clarks Originals: The Wallabee

Founded in Somerset, 1825, the two-century journey of the Clarks brand has seen progress from early slippers made from offcuts of sheepskin rugs to iconic silhouettes including the Desert Boot and, of course, the Wallabee. Initially released in 1967 as Clarks acquired a licence to manufacture their own iteration of a style of moccasin from Germany named "The Grasshopper", the Wallabee rose to popularity with its uniquely recognisable appearance that remains mostly unchanged even today.

Seen as representing the refinement of British style, they were quickly adopted by dancehall artists in Jamaica which bestowed the style with a high level of prestige among the general population of the island. The ban on the import of foreign-made shoes into the country from 1972 onwards did little to quell the surge in interest, with touring musicians going to the lengths of smuggling pairs of Wallabees back in their suitcases. As the style slowly became a staple of the dancehall scene it also began to inspire British artists of the time, including David Bowie, into making the look their own.

The movement of large numbers of Jamaican migrants to Brooklyn, New York in the 1980s and the styles that they brought with them had an immeasurable impact on the earliest years of what was soon to become a thriving hip-hop community. In the years that followed, the Wallabee quickly became an inseparable part of the East Coast aesthetic which defined a genre. Towards the latter end of the decade, the rise of both the acid house scene in Europe and Britpop in the UK saw a whole new audience and demographic exposed to the style for the first time and the image of the Wallabee as a countercultural, non-conformist emblem had been cemented.

Very few styles have managed to transcend such a multitude of subcultures, eras and generations as the Wallabee. With music and musicians as the catalyst, its simple, versatile look has ensured its broad appeal throughout its almost 60 years of history thus far and for years into the future.

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