My Childhood Clarks Baby Shoes - Assignment Example

 My Childhood Clarks Baby Shoes Introduction According to Valerie Steele (1998, p.327), object based research can effectively be used to provide critical insights into the aesthetic and historical developments of fashion. This statement particularly reflects on the increasing important of research in finding out the past information of objects of material culture. According to many experts, one of the most critical methodologies employed in the study and analysis of fashion history is the interpretation of objects. Although the standard historical research methods can also be used, the most widely used approach is Julie Prown’s methodology which comprises of three distinct stages namely; description, deduction and speculation (Prown, 2004, p.167). This paper uses material culture methodology to provide critical insights into the aesthetic and historical aspects of my childhood favorite “Clarks” shoes. Object Description “Clarks” shoes were the first pair of shoes I had as a baby when I started walking for the first time. Manufactured by a British international shoe company known as C. and J. Clark International Ltd, Clarks remains one of the world’s renowned baby shoes. Their popularity is particularly attributed to their timeless style and the unique comfort that comes with them. Founded in 1825 in the United Kingdom, Clarks continue to provide fashion forward trendy footwear both to the kids and adults (Mark, 2013, p.88). This has significantly enabled the giant shoe maker to build and keep a large loyal customer base in the ever changing world. The babies’ Clark shoes are designed in a colourful nature in order to bring the attraction of feature of these shoes to the babies. The classic design of Clark shoes emerged in the medieval period with a flash of inspirations experienced by the designers. This type of footwear materials emerged in the Somerset village in 1825. James Clark, the designer to this footwear worked in a tannery owned by his brother known as Cyrus. It was through the Cyrus’s inspiration that Clarks came up with his own artistic work of designing his own footwear. Initially, the Clark shoes were made of sheepskin rugs which made them uncomfortable but in the recent past due the technological improvements, the Babies’ Clark shoes are some of the footwear products that dominate the clothing industry. Even though there we have witnessed the fashions in relation to the footwear come and go, the Clark footwear has been stable in the clothing industry and even advanced into a more long-lasting and comfortable footwear. Although my first pair of shoes was black in color, ‘Clarks’ shoes come in a wide range of colors, shapes to suit the different needs of their diverse customers. During my childhood days, ‘Clarks’ baby shoes were renowned for their high quality leather and iconic fashionable designs. Most kids began wearing Clarks when they were toddlers and continued to put them on up to their school days and later adulthood. In terms of their durability, my first Clarks shoes were well designed and extremely durable while at the same time looking classy and fashionable. I eventually grew out of my first shoes before they even began wearing out but I never got fed up with them and that’s why I still treasure them in my memory. Deduction The design of many of the Clarks baby shoes were particularly introduced between the 1950s and 1990s. However, the company recently decided to reintroduce them as part of its fashion collections during the 2010 spring collections. It is worth noticing that most of the recent collections are strikingly similar to the originals in many of their features. The sizes of the Clarks baby shoes have also always been varied to ensure that all babies between 0 to 12 years are able to find their appropriate fitting sizes. Additionally, there also smaller sizes for younger babies who are just beginning to crawl. Compared to the other types of baby shoes during my childhood, a few of the shoes companies have survived up to today or maintained their popularity like Clarks. The aesthetic design of Clarks shoes out do almost every type of footwear in the shoe manufacturing industry. The Clark babies’ shoes offer some of the best innovative designs through their online shoes stores. Various shoe manufacturing companies normally focus on the incremental innovations which are a common design in the shoe manufacturing industry. Clarks shoes manufactures on the other hand majorly brings their unique and quality through the leather artwork design. The Clarks shoes are made of animal’s skin which gives them the unique look and the confident feeling by the babies as well as the grown up individuals in them as opposed to the synthetic shoes emerging from the different shoes manufacturing industries. The flagship designs of the Clark shoes is a superb design which has seen this shoes types capture a wider market in the shoes manufacturing industry. “Clarks” shoes are still the most preferred baby shoes among many parents. This is particularly evidenced by numerous recent surveys as well as the fact that Clark shoes shops are still spread in various parts of the United Kingdom. “Clarks” shops currently sell a significantly larger range of shoes now as compared to what they used to sell back then. As a result, customers often have a wide range of selection of fashion trendy shoes to choose from. Although their pricing is slightly higher compared to their local rivals, the quality design and the durability of these shoes arguably compensates for their higher prices. Speculation Based on the above analysis, it can argued that Clarks shoes have managed to survive and maintained their popularity due to a wide range of their values in terms of aesthetic, historical, economic, social and cultural aspects (Haye and Clark, 2008, p.156). Insights into the value of Clarks baby in relation to social potentially suggests that since 1825, people have always associated Clarks shoes products with quality and durability and this may be one of the reasons why the products have survived in the UK market for several centuries. For example, the strong leather Clarks shoes that come in different colors and types instantly give users a sense of quality and value for their money. On the other hand, in terms of economic status, “Clarks” shoes may have survived for many years due to special feelings that potentially come with owning a pair of “Clarks” shoes for most British families. For instance, due to their relatively higher prices, ‘Clarks’ shoes aare likely to be preferred and valued by many consumers due to the sense of high social status that comes with having them. With a price range of nearly £40 upward for adult shoes and an upward of £ 28 for baby shoes, people may feel special having them since only a small percentage of the population are able to afford this type of shoes. In cultural and historical terms, “Clarks” shoes may have managed to survive and maintain their status as the preferred shoes for both adults and babies due to the contemporary western culture that views vintage products as fashionable. With a history that dates back to the 1820s, I find the historical value of Clarks to be one of the most important factors for its continued presence in the fashion market. This is particularly because “Clarks” products contain much history and many patriotic citizens in the UK would like to associate with the classic foot wear due to the historical or cultural elements associated with it. Conclusion In conclusion, based on the above object analysis, I concur with Valerie Steele (1998, p.327), that “object based research can effectively be used to provide critical insights into the aesthetic and historical developments of fashion”. This is particularly because the design and nature of fashion objects often incorporates the tastes, social status, aspirations and the social behaviors of their cultural contexts. References Haye, A., Clark, J. (2008). One Object: Multiple Interpretations‟, Fashion Theory 12(2), pp.137-170. Mark P., 2013. Clarks, Made to Last: The Story of Britain's Best-Known Shoe Firm Steele, V.1998. A museum of fashion is more than a clothes-bag', Fashion Theory, 2(4), pp.327-335.  Prown, J. 2004. Mind in Matter: An introduction to material culture theory and method. London: Routledge. Read More