That Sturdy, Sumptuous Suede Hiking Shoe Is From... Clarks?!
Ronnie Fieg's Clarks collections aren't the KITH founder's flashiest partnership but they may be his most reliable. For Spring/Summer 2025, the Clarks 8th Street by Ronnie Fieg collection quietly evolves into a capsule of remarkably clean suede hiking shoes.
Since 2021, Fieg has overseen the 8th Street Clarks project, designing shoes that typically weld a suede sneaker-like upper to a chunky Clarks crepe sole. The results yield textural if not terribly dynamic footwear.
However, Fieg's SS25 Clarks collection ups the ante.
New editions of one of Fieg's original Clarks shoes, the Sandford, are streamlined and cleaned up with a grippy outsole that elevates them beyond the realm of faceless designer sneaker.
And several returning styles, including the low-profile Sunderland, take on the appearance of a super-plush Timberland 6" boat shoe, what with their layered panels of tonal suede atop of a meaty sole.
Perhaps the most interesting new edition is the Laddow hiking sneaker, which takes on the appearance of a throwback trek shoe, down to the retro rubber-clad sole unit.
Indeed, several sneakerheads in Ronnie Fieg's Instagram comment section immediately noticed similarities between Fieg's latest Clarks silhouette and New Balance's Rainier sneaker, most recently popularized by KITH peer Aimé Leon Dore.
However, New Balance's shoe is more of a mid-top whereas Fieg's Clarks hit a bit lower with a streamlined feel. But the effect isn't entirely dissimilar.
That's still quite a disparity from the Clarks you likely know quite well.
No Wallabees here, just a series of trek-tastic leathery lace-up shoes available now on KITH's website and Clarks' web store for $220 apiece.
What with all of Clarks' recent innovations, from slingback Wallabees to GORE-TEX boots, change is good.
And when it involves Ronnie Fieg, maven of so many shoes, evolving his signature line into something refreshingly unusual? So much the better.
