How important are Clarks shoes?

Would you consider buying from Vinted? I normally buy Clarks / Startright / Ricosta on Vinted for less than £10 a pair. I recently had to purchase some school shoes last minute from Shoe Zone for £16 and the quality is like night and day vs the second hand Clarks shoes which were £60 new.

I just bought a foot measuring gauge for at home.
I buy bobux, geox or super fit mainly. All I buy online in sales. So often last years model or colour but that’s no problem.

I grew up elsewhere and truly can’t get my head around this country’s obsession with Clarks. I always buy good quality leather flats but the brand varies based on what fits/looks best. Who cares what brand they are?

DD has very narrow feet so Clarks never fit her - I always take my two to a local independent shoe shop where they get measured and can try on shoes from a range of brands to find the ones that fit the best, adding insoles (for free!) if needed. They always have a sale on so can normally get something that’s discounted, except when it’s school shoes time.

They sell trainers as well from various sports brands but again they do need to be fitted as the styles don’t all fit the same. It’s not as bad with adults or older kids (I imagine) as they can tell you if shoes are uncomfortable, but it’s so hard to know with the little ones so I like the peace of mind of an expert opinion.

I just get measured at Clark’s and sometimes buy if there’s something in the sale or look for new or lightly used on Vinted.

Please don't keep your children in trainers, buy them leather school shoes. Doesn't matter what brand they are as long as they fit properly.

Clarks are no longer owned by the Clarks family. They were struggling a few years ago and the business got sold to a hedge fund based overseas.

They are not the same as they were and the quality has dropped significantly

I also like Clarks as a lot of the kids shoes are leather. (So worth it if I find a deal on Vinted).

My mum stopped buying me Clarks shoes after they said I’d need to wear boy shoes because my feet were too wide. Never liked them after that.
Also had a friend who had a Saturday job there and was treated terribly.

My DD had very narrow feet and thin ankles so it was difficult to get Clarks to fit her properly. She used to have Start Rite in the summer and Elefanten boots in the winter. If you can find a small independent children’s shoe shop then you may find them cheaper than Clarks.

Deichmann sell a range of Elefanten children’s shoes https://www.deichmann.com/en-gb/brands/c-elefanten

Not important at all! What is important is measuring feet properly and getting wide or narrow fit shoes if needed.
But you can buy foot measuring tools and watch shoe fitting tutorials online.
Trainers are probably good for growing feet, and also lots of places do different widths for children- next, M&S, John Lewis etc

I do get Clarks shoes but I buy them second hand on Vinted for a few pounds (looking out for the barely worn ones). I wouldn’t buy full price. I do find they last much longer than the supermarket or high street ones generally. Trainers in particular seem to last ages - I got some from Asda once and they lasted as week before the front big started coming away from the show!

I would be weary of Vans as they don't really provide any support, even myself when I wear vans and converse I find my ankles sore.

If you are interested in foot health and development then Clarks aren't great, but they're better than Vans etc.

You want barefoot style shoes, a wide toe box and flexible sole.

Bobux and Vivo are great. There's lots of other brands too.

Back in yesteryear ie 80-90s I imagine there wasn't as great a range of shoes for children. Going to have your feet measured so you have properly fitting shoes I guess was important following generation of people having foot pain probably because they wore hand me downstairs or poor fitting shoes. So parents bought into Clarks marketing which still hangs around now.

Life is different now, we don't just have the choice of high street shops like Clarks but from everywhere. That doesn't mean all brands are good for growing feet through. Wide toe boxes are important and cheap shoes are likely made of cheap materials and not good for feet.

So buy carefully and maybe buy a foot gauge so you can work out an accurate size and width.

Barefoot shoes are the best for us all, but especially growing feet. Thing and flexible sole with a wife toe box is what you need.

Have you looked at some brands like Ricosta, Geoxx?

There's no point getting her measured at Clark's if you're not buying their shoes - it's not a standardised measurement and only reliably applies to their shoes.

Feet are designed to support your body. "Support" added in to a shoe is a bad thing for growing feet, not a good thing. The most natural option is bare feet at home. Obviously outside you want some protection against sharper things, so wear shoes - but they still should be flexible and allow the foot to control movement.

Unless you have been advised that the child has problems already which need support, clunky stiff shoes are more likely to damage normal development than assist it.

Worth checking out the Clarks outlet. Ingot DDs school shoes there for less than half price. I also got her some trainers for under £20!

Vans are really flat and thin soles. Not support. OK for casual use but not the main shoe.

You can buy your own measuring gauge online and do it yourself too.

As long as the shoes fit properly and give adequate support and flexibility, any brand will be fine.

I'd be wary of vans or converse though because they are very flat and offer poor support for growing feet.

Saw a podiatrist with one of my kids and was told to buy any brand of shoes just make sure they fit and have enough space around the toes and have flexible soles. He suggested supermarket shoes.

Have bought from Clarks a few times as have an outlet near us, but as often as not they get the wrong size so it's not foolproof

Not important at all! The part that really matters is getting the fit right. We’ve always done a combo of startrite and trainers from adidas/nike. I’ve only ever heard bad things about Clarks quality and the shop near me just looks depressing so never thought to buy from there.