British designer Martine Rose returns with her third Coming Up Roses collection for Clarks, marking a continued evolution of her role as the heritage shoemaker’s first-ever guest creative director. For Spring/Summer 2025, the designer introduces a lineup that blends Clarks’ historic craftsmanship with her own offbeat and subversive design codes. The new campaign, shot by Mariana Maltoni, features local beachgoers in relaxed, sun-drenched scenes, adding a casual, irreverent edge that echoes Rose’s signature editorial energy.
SHOES
This season carries added weight as Clarks celebrates its 200th anniversary. Rose and the Clarks team chose to emphasize the brand’s artisanal roots, bringing structural experimentation to the fore. Key elements include exposed seams, raw-edge outsoles, and unusual proportions, details that speak to the fusion of traditional shoemaking and contemporary design. The Coming Up Roses initiative has steadily developed a distinct visual language under Rose’s direction, one that plays with form, nostalgia, and British cultural cues.
A Classic Reimagined
The Spring/Summer 2025 collection includes three silhouettes: the updated Derby, the newly introduced Torview, and a reimagined women’s Heel. Each brings a fresh sensibility to classic forms, riffing on Clarks’ archival models while reflecting Rose’s conceptual edge. At once elevated and unconventional, the collection reinforces Rose’s ability to reframe legacy through design.
Among the standout styles is the Derby, offered in classic black and warm brown. It’s been subtly transformed through the addition of a raw-edged sole and a central seam detail that lends a deconstructed feel. The result is a versatile shape, recognizable but twisted, able to be dressed up or down with ease. Its slightly oversized silhouette adds just the right dose of irreverence.
The Torview offers a sleeker option, with a slim shape accented by pinched detailing at the toe and heel. While it maintains the brand’s commitment to comfort, its design feels more stylized and fashion-forward, making it an ideal transitional shoe for the season. Meanwhile, Rose’s Heel stands out as a statement women’s piece: squared at the toe and anchored by a stacked leather heel, it balances sharpness and texture with architectural poise.
With this third chapter of Coming Up Roses, Martine Rose continues to reimagine what British footwear heritage can look like when seen through a contemporary, rebellious lens.
