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World class from Burgdorf or: The cycling shoes from Suplest
by Patrick Bardelli
Doc Martens: when footwear goes punk
6.12.2021
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Dr. Martens move with the times. The past few decades have seen these health boots turn into a fashion classic – despite the company once being on the verge of going bust.
«Docs» have always marched to the beat of a different tune. After all, there’s no other shoe that’s so strongly anchored in music. From Madonna to Machine Gun Kelly, Green Day to Miley Cyrus to The Who – these boots were made for walking through all genres. Hard to believe a doctor designed this shoe with comfort and health in mind 76 years ago.
Making money with air
Keep calm and carry on – a motto that was very true for Doctor Klaus Märtens. For the lack of alternatives, he wore uncomfortable work boots with hard leather soles throughout World War II. Standing for hours on end was torturous. After breaking his foot, Märtens made a virtue out of necessity. He developed a plastic sole filled with air chambers. It was designed to relieve the feet by cushioning each step.
He made his first prototype from a discarded cobbler’s shoe in 1945. Then he presented the boots to his colleague and mechanical engineer Herbert Funk. Together, they started manufacturing sturdy but comfortable safety boots from discarded military equipment. And business was booming.
The British Griggs family learned of this special sole through an advertisement published in 1959. In their home country, the family’s long-established brand was well known for producing durable work boots. They saw the potential the air-cushioned sole and wanted to use it to stand out in the highly competitive shoe industry. In 1959, the company acquired an exclusive licence from Märtens and Funk.
Apart from adjusting the German Dr. Märtens to a more English-looking Dr. Martens, the family also tweaked the design of the boots. Yellow topstitching was added alongside the curved toe cap, as well as eight eyelets for lacing up the shoes. On 1 April 1960, the «1460» model went into production and flew off the shelves soon after. The working class was mad for the functional and comfortable safety boot.
Docs rock the clubs
Finally, youth scenes also claimed the boot for themselves. Dr. Martens bovver boots become a symbol of the working class. The British rock band The Who largely contributed to the footwear’s success. Guitarist Pete Townshend once wore them during a gig. This turned the shoes into an overnight success and made them as famous as Pete’s scissor kick. A little over a decade later, he went on to immortalise Doc Martens boots in the song «Uniforms» (1982).
Thanks to Pete, punks and skins pogoed their way through underground clubs and dirty backyards. To the bourgeoisie, the boots were the epitome of brutalisation and violence. But instead of damaging the boots’ reputation, it only added to their coolness and turned them into an anti-establishment symbol. Doc Martens boots peaked in the nineties when grunge swept over the globe. Ripped jeans, plaid shirts and Docs dominated concert venues.
But their decline followed soon after. Punk was dead, Kurt Cobain took grunge to the grave with him, and underground clubs were no longer frequented by pogoing Docs but by raving Buffalos. In 2003, English factories were closed down, and production moved to Asia.
From stage to street
This decision saved Dr. Martens from bankruptcy, and the British shoe label recovered. The boots made a comeback as a cool brand for teens. Not least because of celebrities such as Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker or Orlando Bloom, who openly showcased their Doc Martens. In the video to her song «Wrecking Ball», singer Miley Cyrus suggestively swings around on a wrecking ball wearing nothing but wine-red Dr. Martens. And ever since fashion labels including Bottega Veneta and Prada started sending their models down the runway in combat boots, Docs have been back in business big time.
Replace underground and punk with mainstream and pop, and there you have it. Not that they ever disappeared, but they did go forgotten for a bit. Apart from celebrities and influencers, you’ll also see your average person in Switzerland walk down Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse sporting Doc Martens. Today, the boots are available in countless versions that are as diverse and colourful as the individuals who wear them. There’s even a vegan leather model available. In times of sustainability and discussions about gender, this established, gender-neutral boot is a timeless measure of all things. I think we can assume that Dr. Märtens wasn’t expecting this kind of success 76 years ago. Unfortunately, it’s not known what the Doc’s favourite genre of music was.
Header image: Cineberg/Shutterstock
When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.
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