Hand-painted pairs of Clarks Originals
Atelier Krabbé x Clarks Originals
Seven unique pairs, painted by hand.
Art, music and the street culture that shaped Jasper Krabbé come together in seven hand-painted pairs of Clarks Originals. Each tells its own story, drawing on his years as a graffiti writer, the artists he admires, and the places and people encountered along the way.
Working directly on suede and leather, Krabbé built up drawings and colour layer by layer. Sometimes the whole shoe became a painting; sometimes just a few lines were enough to suggest an image. Each pair is a unique artwork, accompanied by small hand-painted tags.
“I started as a graffiti writer, long before I ever saw the inside of a museum.
Clarks felt like a natural surface to work on. From rude boys to rappers, they all wear them.
What I love about a shoe is that it can take the work back onto the street.
That’s where it all began for me.”
Seven pairs, seven stories
Moreover, each piece has its own playlist, curated to match the story of the shoes.
‘Crockers of Glastonbury’ draws on Somerset, Jamaica and the music and street culture connecting them.
‘High Roller’ returns to the artist’s early years as JAZ: graffiti, freight trains and skaters in empty pools.
‘L Stitch / Bank Robber’ pays tribute to Jamaican rude boy and sound system culture.
‘7000 Eichen (For Beuys)’ honours Joseph Beuys’s project pairing 7,000 oak trees with basalt stones in Kassel.
‘Palm Trees and Pools (for Hockney)’ draws on Los Angeles and Hockney’s world, with black-and-white drawings and touches of colour.
‘Kyoto’ grew out of drawings and observations made in Japan, including time spent at the Zen garden of Ryōan-ji.
‘The Guests at the Condor Bar’ brings together the people and encounters at a bar in Ojai, California.
From the studio to de Bijenkorf
Launch photography: Monique Brunt
The collaboration launched at Krabbé’s Hembrug studio with a painting workshop,
inviting guests to pick up a brush and work on their own pair.
From 21 September to 11 October 2026, all seven pairs are on view in a special
Atelier Krabbé x Clarks Originals window installation at de Bijenkorf Amsterdam.
For enquiries about a commissioned pair in your size, please contact sanneke@coebergh.nl.