Footwear manufacturer Clarks is to use British Olympic gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson as brand ambassadors to launch a new technical boat shoe.

The Clarks Sport division will unveil the Orson and Ionia footwear in February next year, and Percy and Simpson have signed up for a 12-month contract to be involved across both store and media campaigns.

“We developed these two new shoe brands as the flagship products for our new nautical Clarks collection and we are delighted to be working with Iain and Andrew,” said Clarks Sport marketing manager, Claire Ashton.

“The issue sailors often face most with their footwear is when it gathers water and becomes heavy and cumbersome. With the AquaDX technology in Clarks new boat shoes, sailors shouldn’t continue to have this worry,” added Olympic British gold medallist, Andrew Simpson.