Mini Documentary “Clarks and Jamaica”
Mini Documentary “Clarks and Jamaica” The documentary is entitled ‘Clarks and Jamaica’ and features a number of Jamaican music and sporting icons. Jamaican musicians Koffee, Protoge, Lila Ike, Sevana, and NoMaddz, along with football star Raheem Sterling; are part of the group that shares insight on the historic relationship between Jamaica & the shoes in the 10-minute long feature. “The connection between Clarks and Jamaica goes back a long way. To celebrate this special relationship; we spoke to some of the biggest names in Jamaican culture to find out what Clarks means to them”. The company wrote below a snippet of the video on its Instagram page. Also of note is that Clarks has indicated that it will be working with Koffee’s Families Rule/ MTLT charity. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clarks Originals (@clarksoriginals) “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 mentorship and scholarships” it continued in the post. In March the company released three modified versions of the shoes – the popular Wallabee, the Desert Boot & the Desert Trek. In the Jamaican colours to much fanfare and hype, with several personalities, including Wayne Marshall, getting a pair. Clarks has been a mainstay of Jamaican fashion and culture for decades for both men and women. Adults and children alike can be seen walking the Jamaican roadways decked in a pair of Clarks. The shoe brand is also ingrained in the country’s popular music, with different artistes paying homage to the brand. Vybz Kartel’s 2010 hit track Clarks, which featured Popcaan, saw massive demand for the iconic footwear in the country. More recently dancehall act Jahvilliani also did a musical ode to the shoe with Clarks Pon Foot. Clarks Originals unveiled the full 10-minute mini-documentary today on YouTube; after initially announcing on its Instagram page on Sunday that the video, which features Koffee, Protoje, Sevana, Lila Ike, The NoMaddz, England footballer Raheem Sterling, and British artist M1llionz, would be released this Friday. On Sunday, the community drew the ire of particularly the Gaza Nation; after they previewed snippets of the documentary with well-known Clarks booty champions Vybz Kartel, Super Cat, Popcaan, and Jahvillani “missing in action”. Today’s move seems to have been undertaken in a bid to appease Dancehall fans; who accused them of disrespecting the men who are behind the popularity of the footwear and high sales among Jamaicans across the world. Kartel’s name and song were mentioned a few times by Koffee, Lila, Sterling, & Protoje; who also made several historical references to the boots in the Dancehall space. Led by the hot-headed Gaza Nation, some Jamaicans had condemned the British footwear company; after there was no mention of Kartel, Popcaan, Super Cat or even Jahvillani in the teaser released on Sunday. Clarks also posted a trailer for the documentary today on IG, featuring images and comments from Grammy princess Koffee. Under the photo of the Toast artist, who sports a bluish-grey Desert Clarks. The company noted that “Koffee talks about what Clarks means to her; from the famous music she listened to growing up. To her family that wear it with pride” & noted that “as part of this project we’re working with Koffee and her Families Rule/MTLT charity that strives to empower kids through training, mentorship and scholarships”. Clarks has been an all-time favorite of Rastafarians & the nation’s Dancehall artistes; who glorified and immortalized the company’s ‘Bank Robber’, Wallabees, and Desert Clarks in their songs, dating to as far back as the 1970s. Dancehall’s romance with Clarks shoes has been so massive that it inspired One Love Books’ founder Al Fingers, to undertake a compilation of tracks dubbed Clarks in Jamaica, which documented the enduring relationship between Jamaica and the British brand. The popularity of Clarks in Jamaica has even attracted the attention of the BBC which journeyed to Jamaica in 2012 to interview Popcaan about his love for the brand, and other issues surrounding its popularity. BACK Read the full article