Sole of a nation: how Clarks became Jamaica’s favourite footwear Lauren Cochrane
The reggae producer Bunny Lee said: “Clarks stand the test of time inna Jamaica. All the other shoes come and bow down at Clarks’ foot.” DJ Trinity said in the 70s that you couldn’t get a girlfriend if you didn’t wear Clarks. And the dancehall star Vybz Kartel dedicated no fewer than three hit songs to the shoes. Clarks might be associated with schoolchildren in the UK, but they have also been the shoe of choice for Jamaican men for nearly 70 years.
Al Fingers has spent time studying the history of how this happened. A updated edition of his book Clarks in Jamaica has just been published and it’s exhaustive, with detail about different models likely to appeal to even the most clued-up enthusiast. The 2021 edition is even more of a deep dive than 2012. “[For the first edition] I wasn’t so familiar with all the styles of Clarks that people were wearing, so a lot of the
Last modified on Wed 12 May 2021 12.16 EDT
The reggae producer Bunny Lee said: âClarks stand the test of time inna Jamaica. All the other shoes come and bow down at Clarksâ foot.â DJ Trinity said in the 70s that you couldnât get a girlfriend if you didnât wear Clarks. And the dancehall star Vybz Kartel dedicated no fewer than three hit songs to the shoes. Clarks might be associated with schoolchildren in the UK, but they have also been the shoe of choice for Jamaican men for nearly 70 years.
Nitty Gritty wearing Hoverveldt Glider Clarks, with diamond socks, circa 1986. Photograph: Carlos Harriott/Greensleeves Archive