You know Clarks, you know the prestige, the history, the creations. What you don’t know is that in the last two years Clarks have been killing it with new silhouettes, new technology, and a renewed vigour to their designs. This process has culminated in some of the best designs in the company’s history, and that holds true on this brand new Clarks Kiowa Sport.

The heritage of the Kiowa comes partially from Clark’s own catalogue of silhouettes and the origin of its name. Kiowa people are Native American settlers that formerly occupied the areas of Montana and Colorado before their modern-day incarnation as the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. The inspiration from the name comes in part from Kiowa handmade moccasins, usually dressed with multicoloured beads. Although the Clarks iteration of the design comes sans beads, the slimline moccasin construction can easily be traced back to the heritage of Kiowa footwear, borrowing the original sensibilities of the early moccasin designs of the Native American people, commonly referred to as the creators of the moccasin and the design base for moccasin designs in this century.

When it comes to the shoe itself, the Kiowa is another hybrid design cut from the same cloth as the heralded Trigenic silhouette, borrowing the luxury sensibilities of the upper and applying a striking foam midsole that borrows from the sensibilities of Y3 with it’s sleek and eye-catching construction. The design has the audacity to take on a typically Japanese construction seen from brands like Visvim and Yuketen with it’s tonally stitched upper panels of nubuck and leather and woven detail. The block foam midsole comes sturdily designed adding an ortholite footbed on top to gift the shoe that staple Clarks comfort, finished with a durable rubberised outsole and Clarks branding. The heel tab offers a different construction to the majority of the shoe, incorporating a contrasting stitch composition with the design echoing that of the classic Desert Trek heel branding. The laces come in the form of 3M ropes that lend a more sporting vibe, finished with the classic Clarks Originals triangle tag, branding the shoe as the genuine article.

This particular release sees a use of tonal brown and beige to dress the upper, allowing the midsole and contrast rear stitching to provide the two-tone finish to the silhouette. With more to come in this silhouette from Clarks, expect further staple colourways in the monochromatic style, with the blank canvas to provide a vibrant dressing to the brand new silhouette.

Keep your eyes peeled for more colourways of Kiowa Sport, alongside further releases from Clarks Originals.