Clarks Celebrates 200 Years with For The World Ahead Project

Founded in 1825 by brothers James and Cyrus Clark near Glastonbury, the British footwear brand Clarks achieved its first major success in 1883 with the 'hygienic line,' the first shoe designed to adapt to foot morphology, patented under James's son William. The brand's archive now holds over 22,000 styles. Notable models include the Desert Boot (launched 1950 by Nathan Clark), favored by Italian and French protesters in the 1960s for its practicality; the Nature (late 1980s); and the Trigenic Flex. The brand's core design philosophy combines hand-carved hornbeam lasts, advanced construction, and modern technology. In 2022, Clarks launched 'For The World Ahead,' a project amplifying social change through its products. In 2023, poet and artist Sonny Hall, Royal Ballet principal dancer Marcelino Sambé, and model-actress Jourdan Dunn joined the initiative, now part of the 'Clarks Collective' supporting their projects. The focus is on sharing future visions and sparking conversations about social impact, tied to the new Torhill Bee and Torhill Hi models. Sambé sees the project as inspiring for disadvantaged youth, while Hall praises the Torhill Hi as a blend of past and present, tradition and innovation, combining the iconic Wallabee style with 1990s-inspired Big Gripper soles. The shoes are described as extremely comfortable by Sambé, who spends entire days in dance shoes.