What’s a guy like Francesco Clark (a former fashion assistant for
Harper’s Bizarre) to do when he finds himself suddenly paralyzed and drowning in a pool, when all he intended was to take a late night swim at his place in Long Island? Give up? No this Northern Italian cutie. No siree.
After surviving what is truly one of the scariest things anyone can experience (I too remember every moment of floating in the lake when I broke my neck), he’s used his fashion background and connections to not only move on, but to kick ass and take names.
The first awesome thing Clark‘s undertaken since his injury in 2002, due to the popularity of his inspirational email series that he began to send to family and friends after his injury, was to write his injury memoir, titled
Walking Papers: The Accident that Changed My Life and the Business that Got Me Back on My Feet. It’s an honest, brutal look at what he went through, and how he’s now thriving thanks to the beauty industry. Case in point, Clark’s other endeavor:
Clarks Botanicals.
Clarks Botanicals is basically Clark’s response to skin issues he experienced after his injury. When you’re paralyzed, not only can’t you walk, but if you’re a quadriplegic like Clark, you can’t sweat either, which leads to clogged pores and chronic breakouts. Clark utilized his father’s assistance (a physician in both Western and homeopathic medicine) to develop formulas to help. And not only did they work, they worked
really well, leading Clark to begin selling their creations via their site (launched in 2005).
His products are now sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and have become popular among celebrities (even First Lady Michelle Obama), with
Cellular Lifting Serum and the
Ultra Rich Lip Balm being their top-sellers. And even cooler, a percentage of the proceeds go to
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
Oh Francesco, you rule.
