Diemme and Clarks Originals have moved three familiar silhouettes into the space between an English casual shoe and an Italian hiking boot. Releasing on 5 November, the collection gives the Wallabee, Desert Boot and Desert Trek new materials, stronger soles and details associated with mountain footwear. The aim is to change their practical character without hiding the original forms.
Three distinct starting points
The Wallabee uses champagne suede supplied by British tannery Charles F. Stead. The Desert Boot takes a darker cola suede, while the Desert Trek becomes a mid-cut model in black full-grain leather. Metal D-ring lace hardware and a lugged rubber sole derived from Diemme hiking shoes appear on all three.
The rubber mudguard carries the grain of Clarks' traditional crepe sole. It is a small but meaningful decision. The collaboration does more than place one brand's sole beneath another's upper. It connects the two manufacturing traditions visually.
Production takes place in Diemme's family factory in Onè di Fonte in Veneto. The location is part of the construction rather than decorative storytelling. Diemme draws on the sole units of its Roccia Vet and Cornaro hikers, giving the Clarks forms a taller, grippier and visually heavier base.
What the thicker sole changes
The Wallabee is normally a soft, low shoe with a broad toe. The hiking sole lowers its visual centre of gravity, while the mudguard draws a firm frame around the suede. The slimmer profile of the Desert Boot becomes more rugged. The mid-cut Desert Trek sits closest to a conventional boot, making the technical conversion look most natural there.
Styling should acknowledge that weight. Straight denim, wide wool trousers or workwear canvas provide enough visual balance. The warmer champagne and cola suedes soften the hardware, while black full-grain leather creates an intentionally harder image.
A Hungarian buyer's view
For the Hungarian market, the practical questions are local availability, sizing and the real winter performance of the sole. Neither source supplies local retail information, so we make no claim about Hungarian distribution. Online buyers should check return terms and possible differences between Clarks and Diemme lasts before ordering.
The professional value of the collaboration is that both partners remain recognisable. Clarks supplies three cultural icons, while Diemme responds through construction rather than a simple colour update. After 5 November, the test will be whether the dramatic hiking sole gives the classics a genuinely new working life. Suede protection and lug cleaning may require extra care, so guidance matters as much as styling. A premium price is easier to defend when the structure can be repaired over several seasons.
