   c. & j. clark international ltd, trading as clarks, is a british, international shoe manufacturer and retailer. it was founded in 1825 by quaker brothers cyrus and james clark in street, somerset, england â where it still has its headquarters. the company has over 1,000 branded stores and franchises around the world and also sells through third-party distribution. for the year ending january 2013, the company made a profit of Â£150 million on sales of Â£1,433m making it the 31st largest private company in the uk. more than half of its Â£1.4bn annualised sales to january were generated abroad, and since present ceo melissa potter took helm in 2010 the company has moved into india, where it now has 25 stand-alone stores, and relaunched itself in china, where it has opened 400 outlets in partnership with local footwear retailers. it is 84% owned by the clark family, with the remaining 16% held by employees and related institutions. the company is best known for its desert boot â a distinctive ankle height boot with crepe sole usually made out of calf suede leather traditionally supplied by charles f stead & co tannery in leeds. officially launched in 1950 the desert boot was designed by nathan clark (great-grandson of james clark) based on an unlined suede boot profile produced in the bazaars of cairo and worn by british officers in the second world war.{{cite web |url= http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/tmg9978725/this-summers-must-wear-shoe-the-
Companies_based_in_Somerset Companies_established_in_1825 Privately_held_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom Shoe_companies_of_the_United_Kingdom Street,_Somerset