Vybz Kartel puts Clarks footprint on Jamaica
Vybz Kartel puts Clarks footprint on Jamaica
Back in the spring, the Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel released a single paying tribute to his favourite consumer goods. He was, he says, recognising a great Jamaican tradition. The song was a huge hit on the island, and stores across Jamaica reported selling out of the very thing Vybz Kartel was hymning. The big surprise, though – to English high-street shoppers at least – was the subject of the song: not Cristal champagne, or diamonds from De Beers, but a pair of shoes, made by a 185-year-old family-owned company based in the town of Street in Somerset. Vybz Kartel’s single was called Clarks, and its cover carried pictures of his favourite Clarks shoes – the Wallabees, Desert Boots and Desert Trek shoes of the Original “heritage” range – of which he claims to have more than 50 pairs.