Just A Blog: September 2011

Are these the boots for you? In 1945 Dr. Klaus had a skiing accident while in the Bavarian Alps, during the healing process of his foot, Dr. Marten designed an air-cushioned sole. Using old rubber tires he constructed soled that had air trapped within closed compartments. He then showed his engineering friend Dr. Herbert Funck and together they decided to start creating shoes. Not only did the shoes help to fix Martens foot, but they started to sell incredibly well in Germany, which is when they realized they needed a factory if they wanted to keep selling and producing. At first, most manufacturers rejected this idea, who would want to sell a faulty shoe? Although, the R.Griggs group located in the village of Wollaston in England, decided to go along with the idea by creating the first work boot with a revolutionary sole. The first Cherry red work boot was created on the first of april 1960 and was named 1460 (1/4/1960). When they were created Dr. Martens were named “Dr. Martens” but to sell the product better to the British population, they named it “Dr. Martens.”

Why should we? During this time in Britain, the teenager was only just born and was starting to differ from children and adults. Children starting to rebel against the rules and they’re parents creating a whole new definition for that age group. This is also when a new group of stereotypes came to place, including the rebels and the skinheads. Doc Martens were a huge thing in the rebel culture they meant a whole new thing to the rebels than they did to the working class. To the working class they were good reliable boots, while to the rebels they meant a symbol of freedom, rebellion. This picture is a classical example of the rebellious teen type, spikes and doc martens creates the perfect rebel image.

Black and white or Technicolor? Doc Martens started off as boots for the working class, Policemen, mailman, factory workers – the real working class of the 60’s. Then when the rebels started to take them on they were classified as a new type of shoe – Their shoe. But in the 80’s girls started wearing them, they wore them with dresses, jeans, skirts – they turned doc martens from being a warning sign to a fashion trend. Dr. Martens shoes have become very popular over a range of subcultures since they moved to England. In the 1960’s they were worn by mods and then got picked up by punks, goths and metal cutures in the 1970’s.

Doc Martensis widely recognized as referring to shoes made by a company called Dr. Martens. This company grew out the invention of air-soled boots created by Dr. Klaus Maertens. The boot’s official birth date is considered to be 1 April 1960. Dr. Klaus Maertens is often described as an innovative and creative man. He is the designer of a pair of boots that gave rise to a company which has been widely recognized for decades. Although the company’s name, Dr. Martens, does not provide an indication, credit is also given to an English family bearing the name Grigg. This family believed in Dr. Maertens' product, acquired rights to produce it, and did so on a mass scale in England. This greatly increased the popularity of Dr. Maertens' invention. The first style of boots marketed by this brand is known as the 1460. They were eight eyelet work boots suited for various industries. Since they offered both comfort and durability, they grew in popularity among the working class. This included policemen, postal workers, and factory workers.

The air soles were only one of the trademarks of Doc Martens® boots. Another was bright yellow stitching around the soles. The boots also left a unique footprint. Working class people were not the only group to admire the boots. In the 1960s and 1970s the boots were widely favored and purchased by subculture groups such as skinheads, punks, and Goths. For some groups, the boots served as something like a trademark. This trend carried on for decades and the original design of 1460 is still popular among some groups.

For many people, the name Doc Martens® conjures the classic 1460. As time passed, however, Doc Martens® expanded to refer to a wide range of newer styles for men and women. The options of boots became much more diverse. The offerings also grew to include casual and dress shoes.

Want some hair on that head? During the 80’s skinheads became very popular throughout Britain, they took on a similar style to rebels although as the name indicates, they either shaved off all their hair or made themselves look like they had a dead squirrel on their heads (Like Mats, M5). The rebels also used doc martens as a way of communicating, although they said, “fuck off” the colour of their shoe laces would tell a story, White laces meant hating cops and power, Red laces meant that you were always up for a fight, Blue meant that you wouldn’t want to “fuck” with him and yellow laces meant that you have killed a cop. During the 60’s when Doc martens were at their height of popularity you weren’t aloud to wear white laces unless you wanted to be pulled up by the cops. Pete townsing from ‘The Who’, wore doc martens to his gigs in the 70’s and he knew, that by wearing doc martens he was showing a power that he could not hold.

Authentic Doc Martens come with a lifetime guarantee. This means that if he chose to, a person could keep a pair of these shoes for the rest of his life. This is possible because the company promises to always repair or replace them. Beginning as a comfort shoe made by an injured doctor, Dr. Martens have been popular with various subcultures for nearly 50 years. Initially available as red work boots, the variety available has expanded greatly and continues to be popular.