It’s that time of year again: Clarks Originals will celebrate its third annual Wallabee Day on April 26, honoring the cultural impact of the popular silhouette that’s “Worn by the World,” as the campaign is named.
“Worn by the World” re-contextualizes the Wallabee as “a shared cultural language-told through the people who wear it,” per an official release. The campaign was lensed by London-based photographer and director Carina Lammers, with a pared-down approach focusing on form, stance and individuality. The subjects of the campaign, of different ages, backgrounds and disciplines, are “captured instinctively” with their Wallabees centered in the frame.
The brand notes how the Somerset-designed shoe has been embraced well beyond its birthplace, with Brit-pop culture, Jamaican dancehall, Tokyo street style and New York hip-hop some of the realms it’s been welcomed.
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“From the businessman to the skater, the pensioner to the raver, the campaign reflects a cross-section of everyday life-illustrating how one silhouette moves seamlessly between worlds while remaining entirely its own,” the release reads. “At its core, Worn by the World is about permanence in a transient culture. The Wallabee doesn’t chase relevance-it accumulates it.”
Accompanying the campaign is a contemporary reimagination of the Wallabee courtesy of British artist Nick Dynan (aka @Me.Old.China). Exclusively for Wallabee Day, Clarks Originals and Me.Old.China came together to make specialized Jesmonite Wallabee sculptures caste in silicon molds and hand-painted in three colors, creating a distinct high-gloss finish. Three of the sculptures will be given away through Clarks Originals Instagram in April.
Additionally, the footwear-focused holiday will be observed with two premium patent leather versions of the Wallabee 2604 style, with the colorways being a striking silver and a deep blue.
Slated to launch April 26, the collection comes with special edition Wallabee Day fobs and extra lace options including a flat tonal lace, a round white fleck lace and a round white stripe lace.
Last year, the second annual Wallabee Day was celebrated with a limited-edition suede pack and various events. The date April 26 holds significance to Clarks because on April 26, 1971, a shipment of 4,176 pairs of Wallabees sparked chaos at JFK Airport in New York.
