Levi’s Vintage Clothing puts a Manchester Spin on Clarks’ Most Celebrated Silhouettes
Levi’s Vintage Clothing and Clarks Originals team up for a ‘Madchester’ inspired Capsule Collection
Words by Will Halbert
All too rare are the occasions when brand collaborations move beyond the eyebrow-raising, well-well-well-evoking realm of really quite interesting to instead bask in the pastures of actually kind of inspired. The all-new collection from Levi’s Vintage Clothing and Clarks Originals covers that ground and then some, finding itself squarely and comfortably in the ‘oh damn’-inducing, smile-eliciting environs of genuinely bloody cool.
Designed in conjunction with Levi’s Vintage Clothing’s ‘Loose Fix’ color palette (more on that here), the collaboration features three classic Clarks silhouettes draped in premium suede and boasting all the rave-inflected, psychedelic charm you can shake a glow stick at.
First up is the tried-and-tested, go-with-anything Wallabee, clad in the trippiest of pink suede outers and finished with a mauve nubuck trim with matching laces. Then there’s the Desert Boot, complete with a two-piece, light blue suede construction offset by a pair of lavender laces. Last but not least, there’s the Weaver. A hybrid style that bridges the gap between the Desert Boot’s all-around practicality and the Wallabee’s collegiate cool, the Weaver comes in two shades of sandy yellow suede with nubuck detail flourishes.
‘When we were putting together the “Loose Fix” collection, we thought it would be amazing to collaborate with Clarks to coincide with it,’ says Paul O’Neill, Head Designer for Levi’s Vintage Clothing at Levi Strauss & Co. ‘They were really big in Manchester in the ‘80s and throughout the UK. I’ve probably been wearing them myself for the last 30 years.’
‘It’s just a really old-school approach to making shoes that are timeless, shoes that people will always love.’ Paul continues. ‘These are all traditional Clarks shoes with a contemporary approach to color.’
Like I said, genuinely bloody cool. By turns respected arbiters of style and unrivalled archivers of trends gone by, LVC understands the joy that comes with the fond look back at fashion’s myriad histories. That the heritage brand should team up with Clarks to pay tribute to the audiovisual delights of Manchester’s late ‘80s music scene isn’t just inspired, it’s pitch-perfect.
All three of Levi’s Vintage Clothing x Clarks Originals collaborative shoes are available now via the Levi’s website.
