Clarks is continuing its series of interesting product launches, adaptations and marketing campaigns linked to its community of wearers. And this month it heads to “streetwear’s ground zero, Ura-Harajuku” in Tokyo, “charting the cultural cross-pollination that makes it one of the most significant fashion districts in Shibuya, not least the birthplace of the eponymous style tribe, Urahara kei”.

A Clarks and Tokyo documentary, directed by Taichi Kimura, “delves deep into the archives, calling on the voices and faces that live and breathe the culture [and] lay out the seminal role Clarks and its core silhouettes played in the birth of the scene”.

The shoes focused on include the Wallabee, the Desert Boot, and the Desert Trek.

The film includes interviews with individuals who “guide us through five decades. From the early 60s, when American Ivy League and British prep first began infiltrating Japanese youth style, all the way through to the 70s surf boom, and later, the 90s and 2000s, pinpointing the cultural milestones that made each Clarks design a hit”.

We’re told that “together, the story builds a picture of proto-streetwear Tokyo, where style tribes fashioned themselves in vintage imports and classic Clarks footwear”.

The company said: “Each and every figure seen in the film – from SHIPS Ginza’s Norio Amemiya, the MIMIC team and atmos’ Hirofumi Kojima to stylist Kei Hashimoto and Kowga’s designer Kasumi Kouga – has a personal and unique connection to Clarks and Urahara. It is these authentic connections that differentiate all over the globe that make Clarks a brand like no other.”

And it added: “Alongside the documentary, a trio of lookbooks highlight a generation of elders and a new wave of subcultural cognoscenti rocking Clarks effortless staples, as well as the one-off Harajuku pack Wallabees.” 

The latter come “primed with subtle nods to the youth district’s signatures” such as beaded laces, leopard print pony hair and fob adornments, all adding further innovation to an old-school canvas. Elsewhere, the pack features scaled-up platform soles, camo-canvas panelling offset with classic mocc-stitch piping – plus, snake- or croc-effect leathers. 

Meanwhile, the brand has also linked up with Super League in the US, “a leader in redefining the gaming industry as a media channel”.

They’ve announced new content within Clarks’ PlayPrints Simulator on Roblox, bringing the Clarks x Stranger Things Collection to users through limited-edition UGC items. 

In the updated experience, Clarks will give away free UGC versions of the collab’s Green Torhill Shoe and Upside Down Shoe via Unlockables.gg. Users can also pay to acquire UGCs of the Clarks x Stranger Things White Hi-Tops, Clarks Majestic Aquatic Crown, Rex Hoodie, Cheetah Hoodie, Cheetah Slippers, and Torhill Shoe.

Super League’s Unlockables “offers marketers the ability to reward users for engaging in targeted behaviour both on and off gaming platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft. Gaming fans can sign up for virtual avatar items and other rewards at no cost, offering users the chance to complete online quests to unlock rewards from their favourite creators and brands”. 

Super League president and chief commercial officer Matt Edelman explained: “Every day, the average member of Gen Z spends two-and-a-half hours on Roblox, more time than is spent on any other digital platform. With Clarks, we are giving that deeply committed audience a compelling reason to consider making an e-commerce or real-world purchase, delivering a next-generation digital marketing solution that drives a clear business outcome. Roblox is the perfect platform to extend the reach of Clarks x Stranger Things Collection.”