Clarks Americas Breeze Ave, Breeze Shore and Breeze Step women’s shoes in navy colors

What went wrong

The notice saysProlonged and direct contact with the shoes' upper material can expose the wearer to the chemicals benzidine and/or dimethoxybenzidine, which are toxic and can cause adverse health effects.

This is a material problem, not a construction problem: something in the upper, lining or leather tested above what the firm considered acceptable for skin contact. The notice names the substance. If you have worn the shoes and have a skin reaction, a doctor is the right person to ask; the recall notice itself does not give medical guidance beyond its warning.

How to tell if your pair is affected

Product description in the noticeThis recall involves several versions of Clarks women’s shoes sold under the "Breeze" style name, as reflected below. The shoes were sold in the Spring/Summer 2022 season and were sold in women’s sizes 5 to 12 and feature blue uppers and white soles. The shoes include a label on the inside of the upper that includes the size, month and year of manufacture, and article number. Shoes included in the recall are listed below: Women’s Shoe Style Color Article Number Breeze Ave Dark Navy 26165269 Breeze Shore Navy 26164910 Breeze Step Dark Navy 26166718 Breeze Step Navy 26166904 Breeze Step Navy/White 26165290

The notice gives no style numbers or barcodes, so you match on what it does give: the brand and style (Breeze Ave, Breeze Shore and Breeze Step women’s shoes in navy colors), the sizes (women’s sizes 5 to 12), the sale period (February 2022 to October 2022), the store (Amazon, Zappos, Kohl’s, Macy’s) and the “made in” label (China). If a detail does not line up, the recall contact below can confirm.

What the notice tells you to do

RemedyConsumers should immediately stop wearing the shoes and visit https//www.clarkusa.com for instructions on how to receive a full refund. Consumers will need to upload a photo of their shoes in order to determine if they are included in this recall. If included in the recall, Clarks will send consumers free shipping materials and a pre-paid shipping label to send back the shoes. Consumers may also return their shoes to the place where purchased.

Recall contact, as printed in the notice: Clarks America at 800-480-5092 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, email at [email protected] or on-line at http://tinyurl.com/ClarksRecall or visit www.clarksusa.com and click "Recall" at the bottom of the page for more information.

The recall is 3 years old, and the last pairs were sold about 4 years ago. The notice gives a phone number, an email address and a website for the firm.

How this recall compares

• With about 113,000 units, this is the 16th largest of the 95 footwear recalls in our archive that give a U.S. unit count. The median recall in the archive covers about 7,200 units, so this one is well above typical size.
• 8 other footwear recalls in the archive cite the same kind of hazard (chemicals and lead), 0 of them in women’s footwear. The earliest in this group dates from 1999.
• The notice puts the sales window at about 9 months (February 2022 to October 2022), against a median of 7 months across recalls that state one. The recall came 1 month after the last sale date.
• The notice gives a price of $65. For shoes in the archive the typical stated price is about $38, so this pair sat at the pricier end of its group.
• No incidents were reported before this recall. That is true of 36 of the 95 detailed notices in the archive: firms often recall after their own testing or a supplier finding, not after injuries.

Year, part, store and origin

• 2022 brought 2 footwear recalls in our archive, covering about 113,100 units in all. This was the 2nd of the year by date and the 1st largest by units.
• The notice names the dye or chemical as the part that fails. 1 other footwear recall in the archive names the same part in its hazard statement; the most recent is Dr. Martens Vegan boots (2017).
• Sold at Amazon. 4 other footwear recalls in the archive also list Amazon as a seller; the most recent is Raychy Children’s Light Sneakers Unisex (2026).
• Sold at Zappos. 3 other footwear recalls in the archive also list Zappos as a seller; the most recent is Birkenstock Kids' Mogami Sandals Sizes 24-28 (2021).
• Made in China. 61 of the 91 notices in the archive that name a country list China (67%).
• At the stated price, the 113,000 units come to roughly $7.3 million of retail sales.

Comparisons use the 103 footwear recalls in our archive, read from the CPSC recall database on October 20, 2026. See data and methods.