Lancelot And Galahad Clark: Two Conscious Soles

Lancelot Clark is the sixth generation of the famed Quaker shoe dynasty Clarks. Back in the sixties, Lance conceptualized the iconic Wallabee moccassin, still worn today by everyone from preppy Connecticut housewives to members of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan. After some stressful years running the family’s international brand, Lance took over Terra Plana in the early 1990′s. Along with his son Galahad, Lance has transformed Terra Plana into one of the most stylish and best-selling brands in the sustainable shoe industry.

Terra Plana utilizes eco-conscious and innovative materials such as chrome-free and vegetable tanned leathers, biodegradable soling, recycled seat belts and jeans, reclaimed rubber, and e-leather, a unique blend of leather and textile fibers ‘re-woven’ and finished in a way that makes it practically indistinguishable from fine quality leather. Lance and Galahad are both huge proponents of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In addition to durability and biodegradability, they address reparability, lightness, and anatomic design.”Terra Plana regularly re-evaluates what we can do to minimize waste and toxin use, and maximize product use and love.”

On a recent phone interview, Galahad introduced me to the concept of “emotionally durable design.” He explained to me why a person would never throw away their favorite pair of jeans. They are forever marked with the wearer’s personal imprints: the back pocket’s worn patch from a wallet, the hole in the knee from constant kneeling, or the freyed cuffs due to extra long walks through the city. The very shape and look of the item becomes customized over time and the owner becomes emotionally attached; the possession becomes indisposable. Galahad aims to design that sort of longevity into all his work. His other projects, the ergonomically-focused Vivo Barefoot and sexy intellectual United Nude lines, both use recycled materials and ecologically saner methods of production.

Now that Galahad is running Terra Plana, Lance’s most passionate venture of the moment has become Soul of Africa, a non-profit organization which employs African women as cobblers and uses the profits to educate children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. Though the career paths of these two Clark’s have diverged slightly over the years, it seems their family roots seem to duelly guide their careers. When asked how being a Quaker affected his approach to shoe design, Lance plainly stated, “You work hard, you make money, and you spend it trying to help others.”

Wouldn’t it be great if all the world’s shoemakers brought as much soul to their business? Jimmy, Manolo, Christian…are you listening?