Clarks looking for reboot under new Chinese leadership

After British founding family was forced to cede control, focus of attention turns to Asia

It began with a sheepskin slipper in 1825, but Clarks is moving out of its comfort zone in a battle for survival under new Chinese leadership.

The British footwear institution, founded by Quaker brothers Cyrus and James Clark, shifted from comfort to fashion after the desert boot inspired by James' great grandson Nathan Clark's time in Burma in the 1940s, became the footwear of choice for The Beatles, Oasis and generations of reggae artists.

You get born in Clarks and you die in Clarks but from 10 to 70 you don't want them," says one industry insider.