So I've just picked up one of my son's £50+ (bought in June) Clarks school shoes from the cobblers. A small tear/crack had appeared on the toes (in step side) which I put down to his grandmother not knowing how to dry wet shoes properly*. He showed me to repair and mentioned the amount of leather he had to fix internally to prevent the original paper-thin leather from tearing again. I should have got a photograph of his side-eye, raised eyebrows and sly smile when I exclaimed "BUT THEY'RE CLARKS!"... *You never, ever apply direct heat to dry leather shoes. The rapid drying causes the leather to shrink and crack. What you do is tightly pack each shoe with (news)paper and leave them somewhere cool (overnight) to slowly dry - the (news)paper helps to dry the insides and provide support to prevent them cracking as they dry.
I miss the days when they used to have a small animatronic cobbler in the window. That and the ape in the shoe shop in the harlequin.
Buy Salamon.....Shame they do not seem to manufacture ordinary shoes. Seems Clarks once a bastion for quality in Northampton and elsewhere are going down the same route as other noted manufacturers. Like Black & Decker. Relying on past reputation.
