I spent the summer of 2023 working at Clarks as a men's footwear design intern. I was tasked with designing the 200th anniversary shoe for 2025. I was given access to hundreds of years of archives and shoe catalogs, looking for aspects of Clarks' iconic visual brand language to incorporate into my fresh, new design.
With the help of senior designers, I narrowed down my designs to a single concept. My next task was to create the tech packs for the manufacturers. This involved making detailed measurements as well as notes on specific colors and materials for the upper.
This also involved creating technical drawings for the midsole, outsole, and EVA foam.
The final design resulted in the "James200" boot, named after one of the founding Clark brothers. I found inspiration from Clarks classics such as the Caravan shoe and the lesser-known Desert Golan from the 1970s. The combination of the sawtooth EVA and iconic crepe rubber texture creates a seamless blend of modern innovations and the classic elements of the Clarks brand. I included small details, such as the blanket stitch (frequently used Clarks element) on the bottom of the upper, and the retro green in the tag that was used on Clarks boxes in the 70s.
In addition to the shoe, I included a footbed story that emphasized sustainability. Using the successful 'Contour Cushion', I replaced the regular foam with recyclable foam.
