Clarks Shoes: From family cobblers to creating iconic footwear

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Designs from down the years will be on show at the new museum

Clarks is renowned across the world for the distinctive look and style of its shoes. The history of the company, which began as a humble family affair in Somerset 200 years ago and now sells more than 50 million pairs of shoes a year worldwide, is being told in a new museum.

New museum celebrates 200 years of Clarks

In 1825, two Quaker brothers, Cyrus and James Clark, owned a sheepskin rug workshop.

They realised they could make footwear with their leftover materials and took the first steps towards what is now a global company.

The first wave of shoes were handmade slippers called 'Brown Petersburghs' and made from Sheepskin cut offs. In 1842 they became extremely popular with sales averaging 1,000 pairs a month.

But those sales are nothing compared to the global output of what became shoemaking giant Clarks.

The Shoemakers Museum, now open next to the company's headquarters in Street, Somerset, charts the timeline of the company.

The first shoe designs - handmade slippers called 'Brown Petersburghs' - became very popular

It was not all plain sailing at the start. Ten years after the Clark brothers recorded those promising early sales, the business was hit, like many factory-based ones were, by a recession.

It was at this point Cyrus and James' cousin - William Clark - took over.

The close ties of the local Quaker community proved fruitful, as the family was introduced to the potential of using machinery to speed up production, replacing the traditional hand-making processes.

The identity of Clarks as a Somerset company was further strengthened when William Clark paid for new housing for his firm's workers.

And it was not just the men who took a leading role in the issues of the day. Helen and Esther Clark marched from North Petherton to Bridgwater in 1913, lending their voices to the campaign for women to get the vote.

Schools and libraries were built as well as housing, as the Clark family continued to spend money for the benefit of the people living around its base in Street.

Clarks' children's tan leather T-bar shoe was originally designed in 1914

During its 200-year history, Clarks has had to adapt.

When World War Two brought a shortage of materials, the workers began producing shoes with wooden soles - expensive to produce but innovative for the time.

This trend did not last long though and was abandoned once the war ended.

Throughout the 20th Century, Clarks continued to create new styles of footwear including the distinctive children's tan leather T-bar shoe.

Clarks museum curator Tim Crumplin said: "Back-to-school wear has always played a big part in Clarks' brand and they actually started selling [children's] footwear back in the 19th Century."

He added: "[Back-to-school wear] became heavily promoted back in the 50's and 60's."

The Shoemakers Museum is next to Clarks' headquarters in Street

Not long after the war came a pivotal moment with the introduction of a new machine called the construction electric mediano automatico (CEMA) - a piece of kit with a complicated name that proved revolutionary.

It moulded rubber soles to the shoes and, by 1957, Clarks was producing more than two million shoes a year using the machine.

It was in the 1950s when the company that had begun with two brothers began to reach its new potential, opening 15 new factories and many shops - including Clarks' first flagship store on Regent Street in London.

During the 90's major changes in world trade meant some work was moved to Portugal and eventually Clarks' entire production work was moved overseas.

However, the company's headquarters has remained in Somerset.

Clarks used to give out free shoes to local children in Somerset to test their durability

The museum, based at Clarks Village in Street, will display artefacts from the 1940s all the way to present day.

Shoemaking machines, footwear not seen by the public such as desert boots and Britpop stagewear, vintage adverts and tools will all be on show.

There will also be two recreated 1950s and 1980s shopfronts, as well as audio from former Clarks staff.

Museum director Rosie Martin said: "We are absolutely steeped in history that happened right here, over the last 200 years.

"This is a museum about people - their craft, their community and the shoes that became part of life's biggest milestones.

"Whether you remember your first pair of Clarks or you're discovering the story for the first time, this is a space for connection, creativity and collective memory."

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