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Here’s How Manchester’s Music Scene Inspired Clarks and Levi’s New Collaboration

These throwback kicks from Clarks and Levi’s Vintage Clothing take inspiration from Manchester’s rave scene

By Oscar Hartzog

Oscar Hartzog

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June 10, 2021

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clarks levi's vintage clothing

Courtesy Clarks Originals

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Clarks Originals is teaming up with Levi’s Vintage Clothing to make our eighties/nineties fashion goals a reality. Taking inspiration from the Manchester, UK music scene of the late eighties, the collaboration features three special edition Clarks boots to compliment LVC’s Spring Summer 2021 “Loose Fix” collection.

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Leading the new trio of crepe-soled kicks are pink suede Wallabees (a Clarks model that has made a sweeping comeback recently) complete with mauve nubuck trim and mauve laces. Second are light blue suede Desert Boots with lavender laces. The third is a pair of Clarks’ Weavers (something of a hybrid between the Wallabee and Desert Boot) which have been outfitted with two shades of sandy yellow on premium suede and nubuck.

clarks shoes colorful

Buy Clarks x Levi's Vintage Wallabees $240

“It’s just a really old school approach to making shoes that are timeless, shoes people will always love,” says LVC head designer Paul O’Neill, in a press release. “These are all traditional Clarks shoes with a contemporary approach to color.”

The “Madchester” music scene set fashion trends that continue to appear on streets and runways today. Rave-goers mixed eighties trends with silhouettes that became staples of nineties fashion: baggy jeans, oversized parkas and Clarks Wallabees were part of this uniform. For any modern streetstyle observer, these pieces probably sound familiar.

clarks levis clothing

Buy Levi's Vintage Loose Fix Collection $95+

The shoes are designed in conjunction with Levi’s Vintage Clothing’s Spring Summer 2021 “Loose Fix” collection – another colorful, modern recreation of the stuff Manchester kids were rocking in the late eighties. “When we were putting together the ‘Loose Fix’ collection, we thought it would be amazing to collaborate with Clarks to coincide with it,” says O’Neill. “They were really big in Manchester in the eighties and throughout the UK. I’ve probably been wearing them myself for the last 30 years.”

Clarks Originals is no stranger to joint effort collections. A long list of previous collaborators includes labels such as Supreme, Aime Leon Dore and Drake’s OVO brand, as well as films like Marvel’s Black Panther.

Levi’s, meantime, has also unveiled a Levi’s Vintage Clothing x Central Station Design collection, which pays homage to the acid house scene of 1980s Manchester, and Central Station Design, the studio behind many of the album covers and posters of the era. “This explosive music was more than just a sound,” the brand says; “it was a look, a scene, an energy.”

levis vintage central station design

Buy Levi's Vintage x Central Station Design $145

The collection also includes graphic tees inspired by the British band, Happy Mondays, which worked often with Central Station Design on their sleeve designs. Each piece features some of the band’s original album artwork, re-purposed on long-sleeve shirts. All the items in the collection are produced in extremely limited edition, making them true collectors items for music fans and fashionphiles alike.

See the full music-inspired offerings at Levi.com.

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