It started in 1825 with two brothers, Cyrus and James Clark, and the Brown Petersburg, a sheepskin slipper made by hand in the picturesque English village of Street in Somerset. It began with a flash of inspiration. James Clark was busy working at the tannery owned by his brother, Cyrus. Among the sheepskin rugs, the off-cuts and cast-offs were piling up when James had a brainwave: “Slippers!” And the rest is history. A few stitches and a few years later, the sheepskin slipper was born.

It was the very first Clarks shoe and the opening chapter in a remarkable story that continues to unfold to this day. In the decades that have passed since the young Mr. Clark’s eureka moment Clark’s shoes have seen social, political and economic revolution. They’ve seen fashions in footwear come and go, and come again - everything from court shoes and winkle-pickers to wedge heels, sandals and sneakers. They’ve tapped to the beat of crooners, rockers, Britpoppers and hip hoppers. They’ve walked, marched, strode and sashayed through an ever-changing world.

The company’s feet, meanwhile, have stayed firmly rooted in Street. It’s where Clarks started. It’s where the heart of the company lies. And still that heart is put into every pair of shoes to create stylish footwear that protects and cares for customers’ feet.