Shoes that look better with age...

[Geeman]

Clarks may not be the greatest and not on par with JLB, but that's why they are 140 quid vs 700 quid. 

As a long time Clarks wearer I've got crepe soled desert boots still going after 10 years.

[willi]

Clarks are great

[Double 0 Soul]

Incredible shoes for the money!

The only thing standing between Clarks and a pricing upscale is the retail environment.. it's stuck in the 90s.. style classics like Desert boots and Wallabees (or Cornish pasty shoes as my Mrs calls them :) are sharing retail space with orthopedic shoes for pensioners or 'my first shoes' for middle-class toddlers.. if you didn't know the Clarks brand and saw them in a modern retail space (ie 1940s - Mom n'Pop -esque:) .. with some carefully curated blurb, they'd retail for 3x the price they do now..

[Maynard Friedman]

I bought some Astorflex desert boots (made in Italy) 10 years ago and they’re still going strong. I didn’t want Clark’s as they’re all made in SE Asia these days, apart from the limited Made in England line (in Leeds I believe) which are quite a bit pricier.

[Alec Leamas]

10 hours ago, ATWM said:

I see jpy 84480 / usd760 

Yikes! Has this always been the case and you guys use another site / proxy service or is this, dare I say it, Big Don T related?

@Geeman, @Double 0 Soul, @willi absolutely, all due respect to Clarks, they do a great job and hold great status as an iconic brand, and as @Maynard Friedman said, the made in UK line hold up pretty well. My "crap Clarks" comment was aimed at the prolific made in Vietnam ones you see on the high street here and online.

Good to hear the anecdotal evidence on long lasting crepe soles too! I have long assumed that the longevity of it as a sole material is down to its density, I've had a couple of pairs of Clark's that have felt very soft from the start and rubbed flat pretty quickly. Never the miUK type mind!

Edited February 13 by Alec Leamas
Clarks waffle

[Double 0 Soul]

Sorry guys.. i'm out of the convo.. doesn't 84000¥  equate to $545 ?

Is the site adding an import tax?

[Double 0 Soul]

I'd pay good money for waffle soled Clarks @Alec Leamas 

[Alec Leamas]

21 minutes ago, Double 0 Soul said:

Sorry guys.. i'm out of the convo.. doesn't 84000¥  equate to $545 ?

Is the site adding an import tax?

Yeah this is a good point, I didn't check those numbers, I guess there must be a hefty import fee added.

[Double 0 Soul]

Regarding MiUK Vs MiAsia Clarks... if we take the longevity of the crepe for instance.. it's just a bunch of latex, formed into a sheet and cut into soles.. 

With our noticable lack of rubber plantations we will be buying the rubber from abroad.. this isn't going to be liquid rubber.. it will be pre-formed rubber sheet bought from the country of origin... it's cheaper and easier to transport solids than liquids.. plus we would have to set up an expensive manufacturing facility just to make the liquid ingredients into sheet material which could be bought in for a fraction of the cost.. 

 

With rubber being so cheap / plentiful.. are we to believe that the Asia made Clarks are cutting corners here and requesting additives be mixed at source into an already cheap rubber material to make increased but poorer quality units? .. or is this just down to rubber being a natural product.. therefore some pairs will be softer, some pairs will be harder and some pairs will last longer than others irrespective of brand or country of manufacture.. also environment.. heat, cold, UVA, rain, frost will all decrease it's lifespan.

[Maynard Friedman]

I think the main difference between UK and SE Asian made will be in the uppers rather than the soles.

[Double 0 Soul]

I wasn't disputing that.. i was answering this

1 hour ago, Alec Leamas said:

Good to hear the anecdotal evidence on long lasting crepe soles too! I have long assumed that the longevity of it as a sole material is down to its density, I've had a couple of pairs of Clark's that have felt very soft from the start and rubbed flat pretty quickly. Never the miUK type mind!

[Alec Leamas]

43 minutes ago, Double 0 Soul said:

Regarding MiUK Vs MiAsia Clarks... if we take the longevity of the crepe for instance.. it's just a bunch of latex, formed into a sheet and cut into soles.. 

With our noticable lack of rubber plantations we will be buying the rubber from abroad.. this isn't going to be liquid rubber.. it will be pre-formed rubber sheet bought from the country of origin... it's cheaper and easier to transport solids than liquids.. plus we would have to set up an expensive manufacturing facility just to make the liquid ingredients into sheet material which could be bought in for a fraction of the cost.. 

 

With rubber being so cheap / plentiful.. are we to believe that the Asia made Clarks are cutting corners here and requesting additives be mixed at source into an already cheap rubber material to make increased but poorer quality units? .. or is this just down to rubber being a natural product.. therefore some pairs will be softer, some pairs will be harder and some pairs will last longer than others irrespective of brand or country of manufacture.. also environment.. heat, cold, UVA, rain, frost will all decrease it's lifespan.

Can't contest the logic. Perhaps just my perception, and in reality more down to the physical thickness of the sole unit as opposed to it's density!

[Maynard Friedman]

^ Perhaps you’re just trying to justify spending half a thousand pounds on a pair of desert boots! 😆

Seems bonkers to me but it’s not my money.

[Alec Leamas]

Haha! You may in fact be right!

[Alec Leamas]

Though, maybe no more bonkers than wanting to spend £150-£200 on a pair of jeans, which I have justified to myself many times over.

[mlwdp]

Back when Phigvel used to make engineer boots.  Wish they’d bring these back.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130208061026/http://www.hickorees.com/brand/phigvel/product/horsehide-engineer-boots-black
 

 

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

5 hours ago, mlwdp said:

Back when Phigvel used to make engineer boots.  Wish they’d bring these back.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130208061026/http://www.hickorees.com/brand/phigvel/product/horsehide-engineer-boots-black
 

 

Seconds hand ones can still be found on yahoo auctions every now and again 

[CSL]

All the Clarks talk has reminded me, didn't they do a connoisseur line a few years back? I recall a friend getting some that were sort of teddy boy-ish. I'll see if I can find a photo.

Here we go (2020) -

Edited February 14 by CSL

[HGS]

On 2/12/2025 at 11:19 PM, Geeman said:

Clarks may not be the greatest and not on par with JLB, but that's why they are 140 quid vs 700 quid. 

As a long time Clarks wearer I've got crepe soled desert boots still going after 10 years.

I have a pair of wallabees going on10+ years and while they are worn to hell they are still kicking.  The longevity of the crepe sole is incredible, a decent quality crepe sole is very hard wearing

Edited February 14 by HGS

[mlwdp]

Been wearing my Romeos more lately as they don’t get much wear like they used to.  
 

 

 

[themott]

My first 'proper' shoes I bought myself were some desert boots in cola. Since then I've aways had a soft-spot.

My tuppence about Clarks, most fall to pieces after a while but the odd pair last. Had my new wallebee's since before summer and the heels are still in good condition.

Padmore & Barnes have much better construction but run small & are quite heavy imo, not really a good thing for a summer shoe.

 

Had about 5 or 6 pairs of Wild Bunch shoes, construction is great and ain't going to break the bank.

 

 

[Geeman]

@themott I second The Wildbunch. I've had a few pairs and still have a pair of their Wallys and 2 pairs of the seam shoe.

[HGS]

I'm always looking for viable clarks wallabee alternatives, padmores and barnes was on my list of course but this is the first I've heard of wildbunch.  They look great

[Alec Leamas]

I really like the look of the Talamanca!!

 

[themott]

Had a black suede seam shoe, had to move it on as I wasn't a fan of the white stitching.

 

The brand has done well over the past 10 or so years, remember seeing them in a shop window in East Didsbury  - very swanky shop - and I like the more quirky things they put out.

 

14 hours ago, Geeman said:

@themott I second The Wildbunch. I've had a few pairs and still have a pair of their Wallys and 2 pairs of the seam shoe.

 

[themott]

On 2/13/2025 at 9:31 AM, Double 0 Soul said:

I'd pay good money for waffle soled Clarks @Alec Leamas 

Bape? 

There was a guy aaages ago that did custom fits for wallys with vibram ripple soles. 

Not sure if I could justify dropping £100 on soles at my local cobblers.

[Double 0 Soul]

No.. i love vintage Nike runners.. 70s / 80s era anything with a waffle sole.. Pegasus, Tailwind, Daybreak, Internationalist, Oceania, LD .. ect

[Alec Leamas]

Love a daybreak. Been hunting for a fresh pair in the vegas gold uni orange whatever it was colourway for ages, mine are on their way out!

[Maynard Friedman]

23 minutes ago, Double 0 Soul said:

No.. i love vintage Nike runners.. 70s / 80s era anything with a waffle sole.. Pegasus, Tailwind, Daybreak, Internationalist, Oceania, LD .. ect

I had the original Internationalist in 1984, before they put that plastic thing around the bottom of the heel cup. I also had some Air Pegasus mk II in around 1988 in silver/grey with a teal swoosh iirc.

[Double 0 Soul]

I'm down to 2x pairs at the mo.. a pair of Waffle 2 and a pair of Elite's.. the 1978 vintage repros from 7 or 8yrs ago with the slightly washed out suede and the purposely yellowing midsole and tongue .. I think i'll bust them out of storage for my summer shoe.