The One Club for Creativity is excited to announce a new partnership with Clarks Originals for ONE School, the ground-breaking free portfolio school for Black creatives.  The iconic shoemaker is joining forces with the organization to provide students with a one-of-a-kind design opportunity as part of their enrollment in the portfolio program.  

A group of 60 graduates from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta have taken part in ONE School’s 16-week online creative course in the past year, mentored by some of the world’s leading industry talent, agencies, and brands.  In a new element in the program, Clarks Originals has offered graduates the chance to step into the world of fashion and footwear with a call for new designs of the classic Wallabee Boot. 

“We are thrilled to partner with ONE School and to connect with the incredibly talented students in their program,” said Clarks CMO Tara McRae. “The creativity of the group is palpable, and we cannot wait to see their perspectives on the iconic Clarks style.”

A team of Clarks Originals shoe designers will review the design submissions and select one winner from the group based on creativity, relevancy, and production potential. The winning design will then be produced and sold worldwide with a contribution from the proceeds going to the student to help further their education and career. In addition, Clarks has sponsored two student spaces to attend ONE School’s upcoming Spring 2022 cohort.

“ONE School is designed to produce creatives who can understand, channel and impact culture in new and exciting ways,” said Oriel Davis-Lyons, creative director at Spotify who oversees the program.  “Clarks Originals has done that for decades, so pairing such an iconic brand with our curriculum gives our students the opportunity to create portfolios that show the full spectrum of their talents and culture.”

“Clarks Originals has provided an amazing opportunity for a ONE School student to design a real product, and it’s a testimony to the creative caliber of those who have gone through the program,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO at The One Club.  “We’re extremely proud of our graduates, 65% of whom are women, and very grateful to Clarks Originals for offering this rare product collaboration.”  

The current design challenge has been so popular with graduates that ONE School and Clarks have decided to offer a similar challenge for the Spring 2022 semester application brief, where prospective students will be asked to design a Clarks style and marketing plan. 

Applications for the Spring 2022 semester of ONE School are being accepted now, with a deadline of March 6, 2022, 11:59 pm ET. 

ABOUT CLARKS

Clarks, based in Somerset, England, has been at the forefront of innovative shoemaking since its foundation in 1825, when brothers James and Cyrus Clark made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts. At the time it was ground-breaking: a combination of invention and craftsmanship that has remained at the heart of what the brand does now. In the Clarks archive of more than 22,000 pairs are shoes that have sparked revolutions and defined generations. From the original Clarks Desert Boot, first designed by Nathan Clark and launched in 1950, to the iconic Wallabee, each design has an instantly recognisable signature that make it unmistakably Clarks.

ABOUT ONE SCHOOL

Established in 2020 as a way to overcome the cost-prohibitive nature of existing portfolio schools, ONE School is a groundbreaking free portfolio school for Black creatives.  Applicants cannot have previously attended a portfolio school, and are selected based on their raw creativity, passion and commitment so as not to discourage those with no prior knowledge of advertising.  The results-oriented virtual program prepared 84 new Black creatives -- 65% of them women -- to enter the industry in its first year.  The program has an 74% hire rate, with graduates recruited by 37 leading agencies and brands.

The One Club for Creativity, producer of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards,Type Directors Club Communication Design and Typeface Design awards, Young Guns and Creative Week, is the world's foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community. The One Show is a top global awards show for advertising, design and digital marketing, focusing on the creativity of ideas and quality of execution. The global ADC Annual Awards honors creative excellence in craft, design and innovation across all disciplines. Creative Week takes place in May, and is the preeminent festival celebrating the intersection of advertising and the arts.