Clarks celebrates 200th anniversary with documentary

British footwear brand Clarks is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a documentary celebrating its shoemaking heritage from its humble beginnings in 1825 in Street, Somerset, to becoming a globally recognised footwear brand.

The ‘From Somerset to the World’ documentary is narrated by American rapper and actor Yasiin Bey and directed by Set Free Richardson and highlights Clarks’ evolution, cultural relevance, and global impact.

Tim Crumplin, archivist at the Shoemakers Museum, said: “200 years ago, the world would not have contained the telegraph, telephone, motor vehicles and aeroplanes. The first-ever public steam railway had only just been invented.

“Somerset in 1825 was relatively cut off from the rest of the country, which required self-sufficiency and encouraged the Clark family to do things differently.”

The documentary tells the footwear brand’s story of how a small family business in rural England grew to become a cultural and global phenomenon, including becoming deeply embedded in Jamaican culture and in America during the golden era of hip-hop, as well as capturing attention across Asia, especially in Japan.

It features fashion designer Martine Rose, musician Liam Gallagher, Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Terry Zhu, founder of Shanghai brand DOE, and Dutch designer Danielle Cathari sharing their love and memories of the brand.

Gallagher, who is due to launch his second collaboration with Clarks this year, said of the brand: “My earliest memories of Clarks, is probably when I’ve gone to school… because everyone was wearing them, they were the all the rage back then.

“I wore Clarks all the way through the ‘90s, got lots of memories… I don’t think there is any other brand for me, really… I find it hard to even look at other brands… Clarks have never let me down.”

British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose added: “Whenever your child gets their first pair of shoes, Clarks is the first place that you go, so that you know their width, so that you know their depth, so that you know the size of their little feet.”

Clarks began its journey in 1825 when brothers Cyrus and James Clark made a slipper from sheepskin cut-offs. At the time, it was groundbreaking, a combination of invention and craftsmanship that’s remained at the heart of what the brand does now, from the original Clarks Desert Boot, first designed by Nathan Clark and launched in 1950, to its Wallabee shoes.

The British footwear brand is a global business operating retail, wholesale, franchise, and online channels in more than 100 markets.