The Clarks Comeback: Wallabees Are Back & More Popular Than Ever

As far as controversial shoe trends go, this year has seen plenty, from the boat shoe revival to the clog’s definitive fashionification. Now, another love-to-hate-it shoe has won over the most stylish — and influential — tastemakers: Clarks Originals’ Wallabees. In October, fashion search engine Lyst ranked the shoe as the ninth “hottest product” of the last three months in its quarterly report (which filters millions of items including social media mentions, searches, and sales) and noted it as a “key shoe style” among Gen Z shoppers. 

The Wallabee is a simple yet distinct moccasin-style shoe crafted out of leather and suede. After launching in the 1960s, the style’s popularity has traversed from its UK origins to Jamaica’s streetwear scene, where the brand was a mainstay as a result of colonisation and emigration between the countries. After a wave of Jamaican immigrants moved to the U.S. in the '80s, Wallabees became popular within New York City’s hip-hop set, with endorsements from the likes of Notorious BIG and the Wu-Tang Clan. While its popularity cooled off in the last few decades, the shoe never really left the mainstream's consciousness. Today, Wallabees come in tons of silhouettes — the classic ankle-high boot and a high-top version, a loafer, Mary-Jane, and a platform iteration — and colours. 

Depop noted a 39% global increase in searches for Clarks Wallabees this year, plus 46% more queries for the brand in general. The site credits Clarks’ buzzy designer collaboration with Martine Rose for the uptick in interest. (Searches for the capsule rose by 233% since August.) Rachel Makar, senior director of merchandising at StockX, also points to last spring’s Supreme x Clarks collaboration — which features patent leather Wallabees and is currently selling at a 23% price premium on the site — as another reason for the recent resurgence in popularity. “The collaboration with Supreme demonstrates the power of partnerships to resonate with a new generation,” Makar tells Refinery29. 

It has indeed been a busy few years for Clarks collaborations. In 2022, Clarks and Moncler launched limited-edition Wallabees that incorporated the latter’s signature shearling and padded nylons. In August, Tyler the Creator’s label Golf Wang released pastel Wallabees with heart prints. For its spring/summer 2025 showcase, London brand Ancuta Sarca reworked Wallabees into custom heels. 

“Clarks Originals has repositioned itself to cater to its Gen Z audience,” Brittany Nichol, a 25-year-old TikTok creator who has posted outfit videos in her maple suede Wallabees, says. “They’re collaborating with cool brands and adapting its image to be more of a lifestyle and aesthetic, rather than just a product.” (While these collaborations are successfully luring in a new generation of customers and solidifying Clarks’ continued place in the fashion world for those already familiar with the brand, these efforts are likely part of a larger turnaround strategy for the brand, which reported losses of almost £40 million last year.)

"I first came across Clarks when I was younger because my dad had a pair. Then as I got older, I rediscovered them through Breaking Bad. I thought they were pretty cool,” twenty-two-year-old TikTok creator Victoria Martin tells Refinery29, referring to the Wallabees often worn by Bryan Cranston’s character, Walter White. Martin has posted several videos featuring her Clarks, including a recent unboxing of leopard print Wallabees, and a collage of her six-pair collection (which has 433,000 views and counting).

Aside from its buzzy collabs and nostalgia factor, there is also the construction of the shoe. “At the moment I haven't found any shoes that are more comfortable than Wallabees,” Martin says. “That's really the reason why the majority of my shoes are Clarks.” Similar to other Gorpcore styles that have come back in popularity over the last few years (see: Birkenstock, Ugg, Crocs), Clarks has also developed a so ugly-it's-cool, cult status on social media — thriving off its practical brand, tongue-in-cheek reputation for producing school- and work-regulated shoes (thanks to its prevalent use of padded footbeds, nondescript branding and a healthy dose of Gore-Tex). “I've been a customer of Clarks ever since I started school because they're one of the most popular school shoe brands here in Australia,” Nichol says.

With the style continuing to go viral on TikTok, the Lyst findings are probably just the beginning of Wallabee's upward swing. Nichol only has one pair of maple suedes, although she’s eager to share her extensive wish list. “I'm currently deciding between the Wallabee Gore-Tex in black, the Wallabee T Bar in maple suede, or the Wallabee in blush pink suede,” she says. 

At the same time, Nichol admits the style isn’t always a hit. “When I wear my Clarks there, I do get some funny looks. But it's mostly from old men who are probably confused about why we have matching shoes.”