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
Clarks shoes might not be the epitome of cool here in the UK, but in Jamaica, they hold a special place in Jamiacans’ hearts. Referenced in hundreds of reggae and dancehall songs, the “champion shoes” are the preferred footwear of gangsters, school children, Rastas, government officials and everybody in between, and it’s been that way for as long as anybody can remember.
Now One Love Books is releasing the long-awaited second edition of Al Fingers‘ cult classic, Clarks in Jamaica, updated with new interviews, photographs and previously unseen archive material.
With a focus on the Jamaican singers and DJs who have worn and sung about Clarks over the decades, this classic style reference explores how footwear made by a Quaker firm in the quiet English village of Street in Somerset from 1825 became the “baddest” shoes in Jamaica and an essential part of the island’s culture.
TEN OUT OF TEN jamaicaobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jamaicaobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mr. Vegas
Heads High deejay Mr. Vegas, has rubbished statements made by Senator Damion Crawford that the government was being “allowed to paint a negative image of Dancehall”, arguing to the contrary that artists themselves were already tainting the industry based on the number of superstars that have been convicted for crimes and thrown behind prison bars.
During a Live Instagram session two days ago, Vegas sought to deconstruct Crawford’s argument which he had made during Saturday’s edition of the Onstage Entertainment.
Critiquing Crawford’s claims point by point, Vegas argued that people should research and think critically for themselves as opposed to just sucking up what Crawford said or being fearful of contradicting him, simply because he is a university lecturer, as lecturers are not always right.
Exxpress has high hopes for Mafia Way jamaicaobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jamaicaobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.