Wallabee Day is back! Big on campaigns and collection launches, footwear brand Clarks Originals has set aside Saturday (26 April) for its annual celebration dedicated to its signature shoe.
After all, it said the Wallabee is “one of the most iconic and culturally significant shoes in footwear history”.
This year’s celebrations will focus on “Wallabee’s global influence” with a brand campaign, exclusive product drops, and worldwide activations “that highlight its unique status as an iconic ‘blank canvas’ shoe embraced by communities and subcultures around the world”.
The campaign is inspired by a true story, and the origin of the Wallabee Day date (26 April 1970) when a shipment of 4,176 pairs of Wallabees “caused chaos” at New York’s JFK Airport.
It appears customs officers, mistakenly believing they were live animal Wallabies, scrambled to prepare cages, only to be met with boxes filled with Clarks’ signature shoe.
So the campaign “bring[s] this legendary mix-up to life”, with Wallabee Day 2025 featuring imagery of the shoe placed in wooden shipping crates, complete with faux customs labels.
The campaign also champions the signature Maple suede colourway, “emphasising the Wallabee’s classic appeal”.
And the event wouldn’t be special without the launch of a new version of the shoe with Clarks Originals and Japan brand Needles announcing their first-ever collaboration.
The pair have introduced two exclusive Wallabee designs in classic Maple and Black Suede, “that honour the iconic silhouette with a bold new twist”.
The collaboration features a “playful” strap design, not only for aesthetic appeal but also to enhance comfort and fit, we’re told, while a peace symbol, “representing Needles’ distinctive world view”, featuring on the buckle and embossed on the heel.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
