The Eternal Appeal of Clarks Wallabees

For some, the onset of fall temperatures means returning back to school or diving headlong into a fixation with all things “pumpkin spiced.” Given that I’ve been out of school for a decade, and my interest in pumpkin-flavored anything begins and ends with eating slices of post-Thanksgiving dinner pumpkin pie, my autumnal interests tend to focus mainly on my wardrobe. Blame it on living in Texas, but after roughly three months of 95-plus degree temperatures, any kind of dip in the heat (I’ll take anything below 80 degrees Fahrenheit; I am begging) is—in my opinion, anyways—an opportunity to “really start dressin’.”

Now, far be it from me to describe the “perfect” fall wardrobe at this moment; much digital ink has already been spilt outlining exactly what any style-conscious person might need to have a properly stocked closet. I will however say that suede doesn’t nearly get enough time in the spotlight—especially when it comes to fall footwear. Don’t get me wrong: While I have an ongoing love affair with an inherited suede bomber jacket, my autumnal obsession with suede starts from the bottom up… literally. One of my favorite foundational fall footwear options has to be the timeless Clarks Wallabee.

Despite having a major foothold (pun not intended) in American fashion, Clarks is actually a British-born brand, starting all the way back in 1821 with a focus on leather hides and tanning. While we’re here to celebrate the Wallabee (trust us, more on that later), most dudes’ first encounters with Clarks is via its Desert Boot, a design originally created for British Soldiers stationed in Africa. Inspired by boots soldiers sourced from markets in Cairo, the Desert Boot’s suede upper and crepe sole that helped make the style (and by extension, Clarks) a household name would ultimately find a home in Clarks’ Wallabee. Ironically, the Wallabee wasn’t even originally a Clarks design to begin with; originally known as “The Grasshopper,” the shoe that would become the Wallabee was actually designed by a completely different German company; Clarks would license the design and begin making the iconic moc-toe boot on its own, launching the Wallabee officially in 1967. According to reports, the Wallabee name came from an impromptu ideation and naming session in a New York bar; the silhouette’s iconic moc-toe was reminiscent of a kangaroo’s pouch—hence, “Wallabee.”

The Wallabee’s ubiquity in pop culture also has shared roots with Clarks’ Desert Boot. While Clarks’ new Wallabee didn’t find its footing in the UK right away, it did find success in North America and throughout the British Commonwealth—especially in Jamaica. Riding on the back of the success of the Desert Boot—which found a home among pioneering American Beatniks and British Mods—Clarks’ name was synonymous with a unique cocktail of counterculture, class, and cool by the time the Wallabee was hitting shelves in the late 60s. This reputation made Clarks footwear popular among a burgeoning “rudeboy” scene in and around Kingston, Jamaica, who adopted the Desert Boot—and then, of course, the Wallabee—en masse. Despite the fact that Clarks’ unofficial reputation as rudeboys’ favorite footwear made those who wore Clarks in Jamaica a suspect of illicit activity, Clarks’ adjacency to the rudeboy scene made shoes like the Wallabee incredibly popular, and simultaneously linked the silhouette with Jamaica’s prolific developing music scenes—including ska, dancehall (shout out to the inevitable VYBZ Kartel smash hit) and reggae.

By the time the 80s and 90s rolled around, the cool that Clarks had generated made its way back to the UK and US as Jamaicans immigrated northward; as hip-hop established its own sound and style (literally and metaphorically), the Wallabee wasn’t too far behind in becoming a favorite for a new generation of creatives. While support for the Wallabee stretches from NYC b-boys to Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, it’s hard to imagine (in this writer’s opinion anyways) a greater champion of the Wallabee than Wu-Tang’s Ghostface Killah. (While Ghostface did call himself the “Wallabee Champ” and the “Wallabee Kingpin,” you only need to see the cover of his 1996 debut studio album Ironman to know that this guy is a fan of Wallabees). It’s likely this connection to 90s hip-hop that has inspired brands like Supreme and Aimé Leon Dore to roll out Wallabee collaborations of their own over the years.

Today, Clarks models like the Wallabee are a unique beast; more dressed up than a sneaker, but nowhere near as stuffy as a hard bottom shoe, the iconic square(ish)-toe chukka boot is the perfect piece of footwear for adding something a little bit different to your footwear rotation. While the Wallabee of today comes in a variety of colors, heights, and leather styles, the signature suede upper (especially “Maple Suede”) and soft crepe sole is the perfect transitional shoe for the fall season.

Fully committed to our collective return to “shorts and a hoodie season” this fall? Pair the mid-rise chukka silhouette with a pair of high socks. Not ready to pull out a pair of boots (but desperately ready to finally wear a pair of pants after months of five-inch Patagonia shorts)? The Wallabee should get the job done when paired with that denim you’ve had stashed away since Memorial Day. Speaking of getting the job done: Don’t let the “return to office” imply you can’t flex a little bit. Nothing says business casual (without the inherent corniness of “business casual”) quite like a clean pair of Clarks.

Oh, and before we forget: We recommend  ordering a half size down for the best fit since Wallabees tend to run slightly large; most shoppers generally need to go a half size down (or maybe even a full size down) for the best fit. While people love the Wallabee’s signature moc-toe design, it seems like the jury’s still out when it comes to how narrow the silhouette fits on-foot.

The Wallabee may come from the brand behind the iconic Desert Boot, but the model’s distinct look—on top of its connections with decades of countercultural cool over the last half-century—make it a prime candidate for shaking up the status quo of your shoe closet. Somewhere between casual and formal, there’s really nothing quite like the Wallabee. Look at it like this: If it’s cool enough for Tyler, the Creator, Wes Anderson, and Sir Jony Ive, it’s definitely good enough for the rest of us.

Shop the Clarks Wallabee here.

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