Clarks kicks it with artistes
Grammy Award-winning artiste Koffee joins a roster of Jamaican acts who are featured in the latest promotional campaign for the British shoe brand Clarks. This comes as Clarks, which has always been popular in the Jamaican market, continues to pay homage to the island.
Koffee, along with recording artistes Sevana, Lila Ike, Protoje, poets The No-Maddz and British rapper M1llionz, as well as Jamaica-born, UK-based professional footballer Raheem Sterling are featured in the production Clarks and Jamaica, which looks at the connection between the popular shoe brand and the island, which goes back decades.
Clarks noted that the feature, which will be released on Friday, April 23, celebrates the special relationship and draws on some of the popular names and faces in culture to find out what Clarks means to them.
“We want to give back to a place that has given us so much. So we’ve teamed up with Koffee and her Families Rule/ MTLT charity that strives to empower kids through training, mentorship ad scholarships,” the shoe company noted.
In a snippet from Clarks and Jamaica, Koffee noted that, for her, the word Clarks literally means culture.
“I grew up in Jamaica and I’ve seen what it means, what the brand means and the actual shoe means to Jamaicans. Clarks is a fresh brand and I think artistes always like to have the best image and look the best. Clarks is one of those shoes that offer that,” she said.
For his part, M1llionz shared that the population in the UK are unaware of the relationship between the shoe company and the island.
“Being there a lot of the time over the years and seeing people go mad over Clarks has definitely influenced my style. People save up for months even years just to have one pair of Clarks that will last, look brand new for years,” he stated.
Last month, Clarks launched a collection — four shoes which pay tribute to Jamaica.
The styles are: the limited edition Desert Boot, renamed Desert Jamaica which is available in black and a bold yellow. There is also the Wallabee Boot, known as the Jamaican Bee; and the Desert Trek. Recently Sterling was made an ambassador for the company and offered his own style from Clarks. Popular reggae singer Chronixx also represented for the shoe brand.
Clarks has also made its way into the lyrics of dancehall and reggae music. These include Jahvillani’s Clarks Pon Foot as well as the monster hit, Clarks, by embattled deejay Vybz Kartel. This track served to introduce the wider community to his then protege Popcaan.