Clarks Step Urban

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STEP URBAN MIX

Info

The goal when creating the Step Urban Mix was to develop a men's casual shoe with a sporty look and feel. Thanks to the breathable knit upper in fun and versatile colors and the lightweight, durable sole unit this shoe embodies the "Freedom To Move" Cloudsteppers philosophy. Being a part of our Cloudsteppers collection, these shoes offer unbeatable comfort with the Cushion Soft™ foam layers underfoot.

ATHLEISURE

Bringing Clarks casuals into the 21st century

Initially started as an offline personal project, our team wanted to explore the concept of travel shoes. We wanted to implement our brand's comfort-focused values beyond underfoot constructions to create an upper that would stretch to fit. To start we gathered inspiration, research, and began to ask ourselves this question: "How can we create casual shoes that feel like sweatpants?"

IDEATION

Concept Re-evaluation

After presenting some of our initial exploration and core concept, we decided that we were pushing too far beyond what was commercial and necessary to grow the men's business. As we began refining, we decided to pull back our design language, but not our ideals. We continued to focus on creating a comfortable and expandable upper, but allowed for the aesthetic to be more "shoe-like" and wearable for our core consumer.

FINAL CONCEPT

Step Urban Mix

For our final design, we opted for an engineered knit construction with minimal lining. The knit is overlayed in such a way that it still has the sillhouette of a brown shoe, but creates a much more modern and younger emotional appeal. We continued to retain underfoot comfort by having multiple foam layers complimented by an EVA midsole and rubber outsole for grip. This knit construction, while not a first exploration for the Clarks brand, over time became one of our first notable successes using synthetic materials in our men's product line.