Sporty and Rich partners with Clarks - International Leather Maker

United States

Published: 10 February, 2021

Credit: Sporty and Rich

The U.S. lifestyle and activewear brand has teamed up with Clarks to redesign a limited edition of the Wallabee classics, with leather sourced from a family-owned tannery in Germany.

The sustainability aspect of the partnership was of great importance for both Clarks and Sport and Rich’s founder, Emily Oberg, it is claimed. The ‘Hillcrest’ leather was chosen, sourced from Heinen, a family-run tannery located in Germany, which is progressing in reducing its carbon footprint through energy efficient production. The tannery offsets CO2 that cannot be reduced in production by supporting the Kikonda Forest project, planting trees in Uganda in order to combat forest depletion. The Clarks Originals brand has offset six tons of CO2 emissions produced during the leather tanning process, including this Hillcrest leather, in the last 12 months, it is claimed.

To be launched February 15, the limited shoe collection also features a FSC certified Natural rubber crepe sole. The Sporty and Rich x Clarks Originals Wallabee has been reinterpreted in three colorways, Merlot, Cream Puff and Robin’s Egg Blue. Each shoe will come with a coordinating leather tag embossed with the Sporty & Rich logo in gold.

Heinen Leather processes fresh German hides between 30-40kg and 40-50kg from raw to finished, and currently has a capacity of one million sq m per year. The company derives its energy from a very efficient co-generation unit that runs on natural gas and which produces all the heat/warm water needed during tanning. The January / February 2021 edition of ILM features an exclusive interview with Thomas Heinen, Managing Director, Heinen Leather, on sustainability and the company’s rich 130-year history. To obtain a copy, please click here.

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