Clarks Originals is thrilled to announce the return of Wallabee Day, taking place on April 26, 2025, the annual celebration dedicated to one of the most iconic and culturally significant shoes in footwear history. This year’s celebrations will honour the Wallabee’s global influence with a bold brand campaign, exclusive product drops, and worldwide activations that highlight its unique status as an iconic “blank canvas” shoe embraced by communities and subcultures around the world.
WORN BY THE WORLD
Since its introduction in 1968, the Wallabee has been more than just a shoe – it has been a cultural symbol, adopted and reinterpreted by generations across music, fashion, and street culture. From the football terraces of the UK to the dancehalls of Jamaica, the streets of Harajuku Tokyo to hip-hop album covers, the Wallabee remains a timeless expression of individual style.
For Wallabee Day 2025, Clarks Originals is celebrating the adopters and adapters, those who have taken one of footwear’s most beautiful silhouettes and made it their own.
WHAT’S HAPPENINGFOR WALLABEE DAY:
THE 2025: THE STORY
This year’s campaign is inspired by a true story, and the origin of the Wallabee Day date, from April 26, 1971, when a shipment of 4,176 pairs of Wallabees caused chaos at New York’s JFK Airport. Customs officers, mistakenly believing they were live animal Wallabies, scrambled to prepare cages, only to be met with boxes filled with Clarks’ signature shoe.
To bring this legendary mix-up to life, the Wallabee Day 2025 campaign will feature imagery of Wallabees placed in wooden shipping crates, complete with faux customs labels.. The campaign will champion the signature Maple suede colourway, emphasizing the Wallabee’s classic appeal.
CLARKS ORIGINALS X NEEDLES
On Saturday, April 5, Clarks Originals and Needles release their first-ever collaboration, introducing two exclusive Wallabee designs that honor the iconic silhouette with a bold new twist. Japanese brand Needles was conceived in 1988 and was one of the first brands under the Nepenthes umbrella. The collaboration, features a playful strap design—not only for aesthetic appeal but also to enhance comfort and fit. A peace symbol, representing Needles’ distinctive worldview, on the buckle and embossed on the heel. This collaboration is offered in classic Maple and Black Suede, seamlessly blending comfort and modern style.
SPECIAL EDITION: THE WALLABEE DAY PACK
To commemorate Wallabee Day 2025, Clarks Originals will release The Wallabee Day Pack—a limited-edition collection featuring three suede colourways:
- Pink Suede
- Sand Grey Suede
- Green Suede
Each pair comes with playful textured laces and a kangaroo-shaped Wallabee fob, a nod to the shoe’s quirky connection with its marsupial namesake.
26th APRIL – OFFICIAL WALLABEE DAY WALLABEES: WORN BY THE WORLD – FILM
Set on a grand stage, this concept unfolds as a Wallabee audition. Two judges sit in the audience as a series of auditionees take the stage, each performing their own unique, unexpected, often hilariously whacky interpretation of the Wallabee. The mis- interpretations of the Wallabee are inspired by the now-legendary JFK airport customs mixup, where officials mistook a shipment of 4,176 Wallabee shoes for real animal wallabies. Through humor and creativity, we showcase the many ways the Wallabee has been adopted by different groups, reinforcing its status as a shoe that defies categorization.
THROUGHOUT THE MONTH THE BLANK CANVAS
As a true footwear icon, the Wallabee has long been embraced as a “blank canvas”—a timeless silhouette that allows both collaborators and wearers to express their unique style. To celebrate this spirit of creativity, Clarks Originals will partner with a selection of accounts and localized artists for special Wallabee customization opportunities across the globe. Stay tuned for more details and announcements on additional events in Japan, China and Europe.
UK: Artist Teoni will be taking over the Clarks Originals Store at in London (32 Berwick St) for Wallabee Day, creating a custom artwork and transforming the space inside and out into a vibrant celebration of heritage and connection. Her immersive design features a vinyl wrap on the store header and drawings across the outdoor glass that incorporate images of her father wearing Clarks—symbolizing the deep family-like roots the brand has established within Jamaican culture.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
To be in for a chance to get involved in these events, stay updated on all the latest Wallabee Day news and exclusive releases by following Clarks Originals on social media @clarksoriginals #WallabeeDay.
