After offering us a high-end collab with MONCLER, the iconic CLARKS brand is making a bold new project official. A few months ago, designer Junghoon Son, better known as VANDY THE PINK, showcased a trio of remodeled CLARKS Wallabees on his Instagram account. Today, the collaboration is official and the pairs are ready for release.
VANDY THE PINK started customizing his shoes when he was young, to give them a fresh look and cover up wear and tear. Coming from a modest family, the Korean designer had to keep his shoes for a while. So he used his imagination and artistic talent to make them look even cooler and fresher. Junghoon Son explained : « After about a year of wear, the sneakers look dirty. I don’t come from a very wealthy family, so I had to do some light customization on my sneakers to keep them fresh. Soon, friends asked me to do it for them too, so that’s how it all started ». He also said that during his college years, due to a strict uniform in his home country, the only clothes to « play with » were shoes and backpacks.
Since VANDY THE PINK moved from Korea to the U.S. at the age of 18, the artist has attracted over 150,000 loyal followers to his Instagram where he shares his customs.
As for his relationship with CLARKS, the brand has been a part of his life for a long time. Admiring the teens who wore Wallabees, the young VANDY THE PINK had asked his mother if it was possible to buy him a pair. He says : « When I told my mom how many they were, she laughed. It wasn’t until I got to high school and saved my lunch money that I was able to buy my first pair of Clarks Natalies. They looked like the Wallabees, but were a little cheaper. »
For his 1st collaboration with the legendary British brand, VANDY THE PINK went bold with bone patterns on the toe box of the CLARKS Wallabee. The designer gives the impression of having x-rayed the feet to reinvent this shoe.
This special edition features a high-quality black leather upper, contrasted by white foot bone inserts sewn onto the toe box. The pair features a black double hang-tag with CLARKS Originals and VANDYTHEPINK branding and 2 small black labels with the white flower logo of the artist on the velvet collar. A thick all-black sole completes the design.
The Vandy the Pink x Clarks Wallabee in black will be released on October 7, 2022 at midnight European time (October 6, 2022 at 6pm EST) onvandylab.org.
This collaborative Wallabee has been seen on Ronnie Fieg’s feet in beige and has been posted by others close to the designer in white and in a powder pink shade. To be continued… stay tuned !
