Now in its 51st year, the Clark Desert Trek is one of very few footwear icons to transcend trends. Having established and enjoyed unprecedented success with the original Clarks Desert Boot and later the Wallabee, Clarks released the Desert Trek in 1972.
While the likes of Steve McQueen, George Harrison and Bob Dylan were noted proponents of the Desert Boot and the Wallabee, it was in Jamaica where the youth really took the brand to their hearts. Legions of Rudeboys wore the Somerset brand as part of a uniform of the streets, and the brand enjoyed success through this, albeit with negative connotations too. When the Desert Trek found its way to Kingston, the heel motif featuring a hiker was likened to someone running away with a bag of money and the Desert Trek was nicknamed the Bank Robber. This only enhanced the brand’s unlikely outlaw status in Jamaica.
Musicians have always had an affinity to the brand, and you don’t need to look too far for celebrated artists wearing Clarks. The Desert Boot and the Wallabee are probably the big two when it comes to Clarks and their cultural impact, but in the Desert Trek exists a shoe that’s arguably nicer looking, a marginally less obvious choice yet with all the suede and crepe hallmarks one would expect from a Clarks shoe.
This season sees more of the same, because if it’s not broken, why try to fix it?
If you don’t own a pair, maybe it’s time you remedied that by getting some here.
