Aries is fast becoming one of my favorite brands, more out of formality than choice.
To be honest, I actually can’t remember the last time I saw something from Aries I didn’t instantly need, not least their kit for AS Roma, which undoubtedly remains the best football-fashion link-up to-date. Don’t @ me.
As it happens, another one of my favorite brands, Clarks Originals, is teaming up with Aries for Spring/Summer 2023 to drop two takes on their Wallabee and Desert Trek silhouettes.
Walking the line between extra-terrestrial and nostalgic, the collaboration imagines following in the footsteps of a consortium of explorers as they embark on a journey that distorts time and terrain.
The shoes themselves need no introduction, but for clarity I’ll give a little background anyway.
The Wallabee, which launched in 1968, is arguably Clarks’ most instantly-recognisable silhouette thanks to its signature moccasin stitching and has been the focus of countless collaborations throughout the years.
Equally renowned for its unique shape (mostly because of its raised central butt seam), the Desert Trek is another one of Clarks’ most epochal styles, having first debuted in 1972.
For this collaboration, which lands on June 9, Aries and Clarks have etched the former’s streetwear aesthetic with airbrush fade prints on the soles of the Wallabee and the uppers of the Desert Trek.
Clarks’ natural crepe soles are stencil-stamped with the Aries Trip graphic, as leather and cotton laces are embellished with coloured beads and charms, including a python-embossed print and a faux fur design.
Clarks’ collaboration train has slowed down over the last six months following a pretty heavy few years teaming up with the likes of C.P. Company, Aimé Leon Dore, and Stüssy, to name a few, but the decision to come back to the foray alongside a label like Aries makes perfect sense.
