10 Things You Should Know About Desert Boots

The inspiration
Chupple Sandal and WW II Dutch Army Boot
  1. the idea for the Desert Boot started taking shape during WWII when officers began having boots made for them in the markets of Cairo
  2. the comfort of the boot was inspired by the moldable leather chupple worn by Indian troops on the North West frontier and admired by Western officers from the Western Desert visiting Burma
  3. based loosely on the style of the Dutch voortrekker boot that was introduced to Western Desert warfare by the South Africa division of the Eighth Army
  4. created on the original army boot last (the original wooden form used to shape the shoe) that provided comfortable footwear to the Eighth Army
  5. created by Clarks in 1949 by bringing the moldability of the chupple together with the strength of the voortrekker boot and the comfort of the combat boot
  6. first Clarks shoe to be marketed in America
  7. over 12 million Clarks Desert Boots have been sold worldwide since their creation
  8. the boot was launched at the Chicago Shoe Fair in 1950
  9. construction of the Desert Boot has remained virtually unchanged since its inception
  10. the Desert Boot celebrates its 60th anniversary this year

The 1950s Reissue