You know we’re officially back in the mode if we come through with a Clarks drop. But first a little odd, but interesting 411. The Ashcott, is an unsung hero from the Clarks style archive. Launched 1976, it was one of the only styles to be made in Ireland. Strangely enough the shoe takes it’s name from a small town near the original Clarks factory in Somerset. 

Enter Padmore and Barnes (P+B for short). For all intents and purposes, P+B is the Irish version of Clarks. Instead of Clarks of England, it’s P+B of Ireland. They were the manufacturers of the Ashcott. Now, stateside it’s a little known fact that when Clarks would discontinue their manufacturing  of certain styles, They would archive them for about a year. They would then allow P+B to go through the archives, pick the styles that suited them and re-manufacture them in Ireland and put the P+B name on them.

In the case of the Ashcott, the process was a bit simpler as it was already produced in Ireland. When Clarks discontinued the style, Padmore and Barnes just put their name on it and called it the Sport or Plain Toe. After which it became a major favorite in Japan until the company ceased production around 2003.

By the end of this drop its going to seem like there’s some Footwear Illuminati shit going on, because now we enter The Hanon Shop. Located in Scotland, It’s internationally known for carrying the primo and most innovative brands. Hanon collaborated with Clarks in 2010 for a rebirth of the Ashcott. And just in time for summer they are on deck again for the Ashcott 2.

2 variations have been released both with specially treated suede and leather courtesy of CF Stead of England. In an effort to strengthen the suede it was stretched during the tanning process, making it tighter than the standard issue suede.  This save a good deal of material from going to waste. It also creates a premium lush finish which is less prone to scuffing. Both styles feature contrasting tonal lace overlays and to sign things off each includes additional lace sets and dual branded leather hang tags.

The Clarks Hanon Aschott Mushroom (tan) and the Berkley (brown) are available now at the Hanon Shop