Released in September 2019 in both Women’s and Men’s sizes, Clarks Wallabee in collaboration with Carhartt took design cues from Carhartt WIP’s DNA, fusing workwear fabrics with one of the most classic silhouettes of all time.

CLARKS

Clarks was founded in 1825 by Cyrus and James Clark, two brothers from Somerset who started making slippers out of the off-cuts from rugs manufactured in a local factory.
Since the day when the first pair of Clarks shoes were made, the company has continued to reside in Somerset, although the manufacturing unit was moved overseas in 2005.
As of now they boast an archive comprehensive of more than 22,000 different silhouettes, ranging from their iconic 1950 Desert Boot designed by Nathan Clark to the Wallabee moccasin, which was designed in the 1880s by James Clark and officially launched in the 1960s.

CARHARTT

Carhartt’s story began in 1882 in Detroit when Hamilton Carhartt left school to start a wholesale furniture business.  In 1898 the business was converted into a devoted manufacturer of men’s workwear apparel, but despite failing initially, Carhartt refused to give up and decided to ask railroad workers what they were looking for from the garments.
Using this as a template for his designs, Carhartt went on to produce honest workwear pieces that ticked all the boxes and from then on the company never looked back. 
By 1925, Carhartt had plants across the globe stretching from Liverpool, Vancouver, Paris and New York to name but a few. That same year saw the brand set up their first subsidiary, Hamilton Carhartt Junior – Manufacturer, which would specialize in young men’s working apparel including overalls, shirts, pants and shoes. 
In 1994, Carhartt founded Carhartt WIP, the distribution network for Carhartt overseas, introducing a selection of their most iconic classic shapes from their original workwear range into the new European market. 
Having answered the call of fashion-conscious Europeans, success was immediate. Their staple shapes became a favourite with the consumers in no time thanks to the large interest in US heritage garments and the desire to recreate their favourite rappers’ look.
This was a clear indication of Carhartt’s desire to expand their product range and also an early indication of the brand’s vision that has since been carried on until today.

BROWN COMBI

The Brown Combi colorway is characterized by a full Charles F. Stead tannery suede water-resistant upper, nodding to Carhartt’s core garments palette such as the Michigan Chore Coat.

OLIVE CAMO

Meanwhile, the Olive Camo colorway nods to Carhartt WIP’s incorporation of military references into its collections, mixed with brown and camouflage canvas trims offset by triple stitching throughout the duck canvas collar.

In the end, both ankle-cut Wallabees Clarks x Carhartt renowned crepe soles and co-branded lace fobs, as well as woven Carhartt WIP labels stitched along the linings.

It could only be one of Clarks’ most iconic silhouettes, the Wallabe, the protagonist of this collaboration that has brought together two companies that have made and continue to dictate the rules in their respective fields. 

Credits: Emanuele Arca, Riccardo Romani