Desert boots

Originally the desert boot didn’t have any name. It was a shoe that British officers found in the Cairo’s bazaar during their missions in warm colonies in the late 40′s. Nathan Clark, after coming back home, commercialized first this model under the name we know today: desert boot. This mid-top derby, supple and non-lined protect from the sand without keeping feets too warm. During the 50′s this shoe entered the civil life thanks to the family company called Clarks. People often confuse desert boot and chukka which origin comes from polo players. The English shoesmaker Crockett & Jones seems to be the first proposing it. Players would wear chukkas to get their feet some rest after leaving their ridng boots.

We’ve got here two mid-top derbies, both can be recognized in few points: the chukka looks more elegant, thinner and pointed and comes with leather or rubber soles, the desert boot has a rounded toe and a crepe sole for a better adhesion and comfort. Each has become a great classic of men wardrobe and was revisited by many brands, but in most of the cases, we know the Clarks desert boots.