Ye Olde Clarks Have No Business Being This Hot (Exclusive)

Double Tap to ZoomStyleYe Olde Clarks Have No Business Being This Hot (Exclusive)We’ve never experienced peak footwear like this. There are endless piles of sneakers and loafers to pick from (not to mention the rise of hybrid sneaker-loafers), plus split-toe tabis, mules, sandals, boots, and ballet flats. The glut of options makes standing out in the shoe-iverse a tall order. Luckily, the small Spanish brand LAAGAM was up to the challenge. Its new collaborative Lugger Ballerina with Clarks, which Highsnobiety can exclusively reveal here, is exactly the kind of surprise silhouette that keeps things fresh. Though technically a loafer-ballerina hybrid, the shoe looks like the kind of thing you’d see a Westerosi innkeeper stomping around in on Game of Thrones — and given that it was inspired by the OG Clarks Lugger from the British heritage brand's deep archives, which just celebrated its 200th anniversary last year, a bit of medievalcore flair makes sense. Available in either suede or leather, the shoe has an upper that folds over and is stitched on one side only, with rivets around the collar. The allure here isn’t just in the strange, empanada-like shape, though that does help set it apart. Equally appealing is the bold move by Clarks to let a young brand like LAAGAM, which was founded less than a decade ago, trawl its archives and take the reins. Turns out that centuries-old brands can still have hot streaks when paired with the right collaborator. This is just the latest in a string of great shoes coming from the Clarks camp: Last year’s bicentennial saw it release collabs with everything from Korean clothing brands and Chinese bag-makers to English rockstars. That energy has carried over into 2026, as we saw from the Moncler-made Wallabee.LAAGAM may feel like a left-field choice on paper — the brand launched from a crowdfunding campaign and is co-founded by Spanish fashion influencer Inés Arroyo — but that kind of risk is sometimes exactly what’s needed to zhuzh things up. With the Lugger Ballerina set set to drop on November 18, these innkeeper-ready shoes arrive just in time to make a “winter is coming” joke as you slip into the most interesting footwear to drop in months. Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.We RecommendTurns Out, Hairy Clarks Aren't as Weird as They SoundPost Archive Faction Built Utilitarian Boots From Suede Clarks WallabeesWhat To Read NextLoukeman Just Wants to Wake Up Early and Make BeatsEvisu Just Tapped Two Streetwear Power Players To Revisit Its Own ArchiveThe Secret to Being the Best-Dressed Guy in the Room This WinterThe Best Nike Sneaker Releases This WeekMenswear Is Better When It Quits Playing by the RulesThe Seven Best adidas Sneaker Releases This Week