Icon Shoes

Dr. Martens

This history began 2 years ago, when my friend Martin Rey asked me to buy for him a pair of a classic black Dr. Martens Boots. And I said to myself - "Dr. what???"

After that, I noted that everyone wears a pair of these footwears: in Black, Brown, cherry red (my favourite one), floral design, silver, pink, etc. But I took a real interest in DM when we had a Completed class about this brand at London College of Fashion.

This work-shoe, Dr. Martens 1460, was made in 1960 at the R. Griggs shoemakers in Wollaston, Nothhamptonshire. The 1460  was about comfort rather than appearance.
In fact, the working man ( like postmen or policemen) has never before been offered a really comfortable boot, declared an ad for DM in 1960.

It was invented by a German during the Second World War. Dr. Klaus Märtens was convalescing after a skiing accident in 1943 and had the idea of making an air-filled material for soles that would help his painful foot.

Meanwhile in England, the footwear was very succesful of public service uniforms - from Post office and railways workers to London Underground.

But also, it look captured the imagination of of every youth subculture from the 1960's to the 1990's, until the advent of the sneaker as a fashion item.
Dr. Martens were worn ( and customized) by punks, goths, grunpies, hard mods and, most notably, skinheards.

The were worn by The Clash, Slade, Madness and The Who's Pete Townshend.

Football hooligans found the  steel toecaps useful, to extend that during the 1970's police made fans abandon their Dr.Martens outside football ground.

And finally, teenage girls discovered, through DM's, that they did not have to dress 'prettily'.

Urban Style

Nowaways, we can see more models, celebrities, bloggers, fashions designers, etc, wearing DM in different colours, styles, materials, not only in catwalk but also on the streets.

Campagne Grunge Style. 1992

Gwen Stefani

Madonna & Lourdes