Artist creates live sculpture to commemorate the 70th year anniversary of the iconic Desert Boot.
Clarks Originals raised the temperature at Paris Fashion week this January, with a fiery art display from London-based contemporary artist, Endless. The display, held in front of the local fashion elite as well as big name musicians like Zak Abel, Kano, Skepta and Maya Jama, was arranged as an element of Clarks Originals’ captivating AW20 brand showroom experience, to celebrate the 70-year anniversary of the iconic Desert Boot.
Endless is known for creating artwork which portrays the impact of advertising and consumerism on mainstream culture, as well as societies newly formed habits of brand and celebrity worship. Starting out using the nation’s capital as his canvas, Endless has made the journey from street to canvas and is now internationally represented by Italian art gallery, Cris Contini Contemporary.
Endless made his personal homage by finishing an abstract sculpture made out of classic sand beige Desert Boots with splashes of vibrant pink and grey undertones. He also added further details and motifs with the use of intricately hand-cut stencils, spray paint and fire.
Talking about his concept, Endless said: “I have chosen bright pink as an accent colour for the sculpture as I believe the vibrancy represents the colourful past of the shoe, which traces its roots to not just England, but Jamaica and the US too. The shapes made by the sculpture close up capture the original aspects of the boot. However, from a faraway perspective, it allows a spectator to see a stunning futuristic aspect.”
Commenting on his collaboration with Clarks, he adds: “Clarks is an iconic British name with iconic products, but, more importantly, they are thinking differently about how to remain relevant in the future. From my recent work with brands such as Karl Lagerfeld and Fiorucci, I have witnessed an interesting pattern first hand - to have longevity the fashion world needs to collaborate closely with the art world to remain connected to their buyers. This has happened throughout history and I don’t think this will ever change.”
Clarks Originals strap line is THEN. NOW. ALWAYS, a fitting match for Endless’ name, which represents his drive for evolving creativity.
Paris Fashion Week is just the beginning of this enigmatic partnership between Endless and Clarks, keep your eyes peeled for the next stage of their collaboration!
Thanks for reading! Keep up to date on instagram by following: @endlessartist @criscontinicontemporary @clarksoriginal
