Clarks x Slam Jam Dances to a Two-Tone Beat

Brand: Clarks x Slam Jam

Model: Wallabee

Release Date: February 25

Price: $210 (€190)

Buy: Online at Slam Jam, Highsnobiety Shop, and select retailers

Editor’s Notes: If you’ve not been properly acquainted with two-tone, then there’s a treasure trove of music for you to discover.

The Specials, Madness, The Beat… the late ’70s in Britain saw Jamaican immigrants and working-class English communities fuse their musical tastes to create a progressive new sound that Clarks and Slam Jam have paid tribute to with their first-ever collaboration.

Reworking the shoemaker’s iconic Wallabee style, the all-black suede shoe has been decorated with embroidered white patterns on the front and along the heel which is cited as a reference to seminal band Madness, and their single ‘Night boat to Cairo’.

As those who were fans of the music at the time will know, Clarks was highly popular on the feet of two-tone listeners. The mod subculture which reportedly gave the genre its name thanks to their two-tone suits could mostly be found wearing either penny loafers or the iconic British shoemaker’s Desert Boot.

Digging into Clarks’ subcultural heritage, Slam Jam founder Luca Benini says he was inspired to work with Clarks on a two-tone inspired shoe after finding an old photo of him on a trip to Egypt which was soundtracked by the genre.

This shoe is the latest in a strong run of collaborations by the Italian retailer that has seen it put its own spin on timeless silhouettes. Most recently, that has included Nike’s AF1, Dr. Martens 1461, and Salomon’s XT-4 — and that’s only covering its footwear collabs.