Iconic UK footwear designer C&J Clark, known for its Clarks brand, will be introducing a “store experience” to Jamaica.

Our Today was informed that the shoemaker has partnered with Kingston-based Signature Style to transform the family-run business at Central Plaza in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, into “the official home to the Clarks Originals shop-in-shop experience”.

Siganture Style has been selling Clarks for over 30 years.

“We are honoured that Signature Style will be the official home of Clarks Originals in Jamaica. We have been selling Clarks here for almost 30 years and now we can take the shopping experience for our customers to the next level,” owner of Signature Style, Karen Smith-D’Aguilar shared.

Before the launch, Signature Style remodelled the Kingston store in collaboration with Clarks to mirror the Clarks Originals store aesthetic that can be seen in London, Tokyo, and Beijing.

The fully remodelled Clarks shop-in-shop store features blonde timbers, inspired by the wooden lasts that help create the iconic Clarks shoes; a feature wall space that talks to Clarks’ almost 200-year heritage; and a specially designed feature piece of artwork from local artist Taj Francis that celebrates the connection between Clarks and Jamaica.

The new store experience also benefits from access to the full Clarks Originals collection, exclusive product packs and much sought-after brand collaborations.

To celebrate the grand opening of the store, Clarks Originals and Signature Style are inviting the public to attend the event tomorrow, August 10, 2024. The

“Lots of special items will be given away including, shoe customisation by a local artist with each purchase, special celebratory leather shoe fobs, sticker packs, T-shirts, copies of the Clarks and Jamaica book and even three extra-special hand-made silver fobs to be won,” Clarks shared in the release.

Grammy nominated producer and DJ Boomdraw will be providing the tunes at the event.

A Jamaican legacy

The Clarks brand has a storied legacy in Jamaica that began with Windrush immigrants in the United Kingdom sending the branded shoes back home to their families and friends. Clarks also gained renown in reggae and dancehall circles.

The brand’s popularity experienced a resurgence following the release of Clarks by controversial dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel in 2010. The first track from his album ‘Pon di Gaza 2.0‘ features fellow artistes Popcaan and Vanessa Bling.

In 2020, Clarks announced a partnership with Jamaican-born English football standout Raheem Sterling with the launch of a limited edition Wallabee. Since then, the England forward has become a global ambassador for the footwear brand and again partnered with to recently launch the co-designed Desert Trek Hi.

Clarks, in 2021, then deepened its connection with Jamaican culture by launching its Redemption collection that includes its Desert Boot, Wallabee and Trek (Bank Robber). For the release of the line, the shoe brand collaborated with Jamaican perfomers The No-Maddz, Sevana, Koffee, Protoje, Lila Iké, and M1llionz.

• READ: Clarks dedicates limited edition styles to Jamaica after decades of influence

According to Clarks, “As part of an ongoing commitment to the people of Jamaica, Clarks is working with Jamaican singer/songwriter Lila Iké and her charitable ‘Blessings and Light Foundation’ to offer much needed support in the wake of the recent hurricane. Moving into the future, Clarks will use its new physical presence on the island to look for continued ways to support schools, community groups and charities.”

Blocked!

Yet, despite the beloved shoe brand’s popularity in Jamaica, many here are unable to purchase footwear on Clarks’ websites dedicated to the US, Canadian and UK markets since the company does not process payments from locally issued debit and credit cards.

So, is this new store experience Clarks’ response to the dilemma Jamaicans face buying its shoes online? Our Today posed this question to a representative of the shoe manufacturer and was told that no direct quotes can be provided outside of the press release.