If you have seen our "Tribe Chief", the first custom model in a series of Wallabees that we will be creating during these months, you will have understood that we were inspired by the history and origins of this Clarks silhouette.
For this new episode of the custom design column we have chosen a special occasion: today November 9th is in fact the 30th anniversary of "Enter the Wu-Tang", the masterpiece of the Wu-Tang Clan published in 1993, a milestone of rap and one of the most significant albums of the 90s.
The beginning of the Tu-Tang Clan
For those who don't know (probably not many!), Wu-Tang Clan was formed in the early '90s in Staten Island, New York, thanks to RZA (producer of the album just mentioned) and his cousins GZA and Ol ' Dirty Bastard. However, six more members soon joined: Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa and U-God.
The Wu-Tang Clan changed the history of hip-hop, thanks also to the socio-cultural references it drew on, like kung-fu, jazz and b-movies about martial arts, from which they took samples for their most famous tracks.
The bond between Clarks and the Wu-Tang
Let's start from the beginning: since the mid-80s, the Clarks were very popular among Jamaicans who lived on the East Coast, in fact the brand had already been very widespread on the island for several years, so much so that the Wallabee were the first casual shoes to be introduced into the Jamaican market. Over the years the silhouette became the unofficial uniform of the "Brooklyn Jamaicans" and b-boys, becoming a symbol of belonging to a community. They soon took over the world of hip-hop too: to name a few, Notorious BIG, Slick Rick, RUN DMC, and, above all, members of the Wu-Tang Clan, wore them on several occasions.
They soon became the clan's favorite shoes, so much so that they wore them for the cover of the Ironman album and mentioned them in one of the best-known singles, "Gravel Pit".
“Wu-Tang gotta be the best thing since Starks and Clark Wallabees” - Method Man in Gravel Pit
We won't dwell on the history and background of Wu-Tang, which has been extensively documented in books, documentaries and magazines and even featured in three seasons of a television show on Hulu. In the TV show, the main characters often wear the most iconic Clarks silhouettes.
We cannot fail to mention the collaborations between Wu Wear and Clarks Originals, including the most recent in 2019: the capsule includes three colorways of the Wallabee silhouette inspired by the lyrics "Ice Cream" and "Glaciers of Ice".
The British brand is increasingly active with collaborations, in particular with characters and brands from the hip-hop/streetwear scene: from Drake and his brand OVO to Supreme, from Aimè Leon Dore to Sweet Chicks, a restaurant chain owned by rapper Nas.
Custom design
SEDDYS decided to pay homage to this anniversary through a custom Wallabee dedicated to the 9 members of the Clan: RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa and U-God. The base of the shoe is dyed with an immersion technique, using the two colors that most represent the Wu-Tang (the yellow and black of the logo), and is then finished with numerous details: stencils that recall the names of all the members, the group's logo, and on the tongue, a digitally printed image of the cover of "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)".
