Aleali May gives Clarks Wallabee a corduroy makeover for May 21 drop
Aleali May swapped Wallabee suede for ribbed corduroy, and the Grey Combi and Beige Combi pairs land May 21 through AFEW for €170.
Aleali May just gave the Clarks Wallabee a rougher, richer surface without touching the shape that made it a classic. The new collaboration swaps the usual leather-and-suede feel for ribbed corduroy, keeps the crepe sole, and comes in two colorways, Grey Combi and Beige Combi, with the pair set to land on May 21 at 12:00 AM through AFEW for €170.
That material change is the whole point. Standard Wallabees already have that soft, almost sleepy moccasin profile, but corduroy adds visible texture and a bit of grain, so the shoe reads less like a polished heritage staple and more like something pulled from a good rack in Los Angeles. It looks warmer, more seasonal, and more tactile under daylight. Compared with suede, corduroy has more depth and a stronger casual lean; compared with leather, it feels less rigid, less corporate, and easier to wear with beat-up denim, cargo pants, cropped trousers, and chunky socks. This is still a Wallabee, but it has more personality on first glance.
Grey Combi is the easy winner for most closets. It is the cleaner neutral, the one that will slip into black, navy, charcoal, and washed indigo without asking for much back. Beige Combi has more mood and more attitude, especially with earthy palettes, cream sweats, and vintage military tones, but it can wander into outfit-territory if the rest of the look is already warm and dusty. If you want the pair that feels the most wearable day to day, Grey Combi is the safer buy. If you want the one that looks more styled, Beige Combi has the edge.
That balance between utility and flex is why the collab matters beyond another seasonal footwear launch. Clarks Originals says its line dates to 1994 and frames the Wallabee as one of its defining silhouettes, a moccasin-inspired shoe embraced by hip-hop royalty, Britpop icons, and Hollywood stars. AFEW places the model deep in dancehall culture and points to the Wu-Tang Clan as part of its streetwear crossover in the 1990s, while Wallabee history is often traced back to 1967 and an old German moccasin called the Grashopper. Aleali May fits that lineage cleanly. Clarks describes her as one of the first women to break through in streetwear, and her collaborations have sold out in minutes. That makes this pair feel less like a novelty remix and more like a collector’s wallabee that still makes sense on a Tuesday.
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