In the modern social media/Information age we’re in, very few things keep longevity and almost all trends are thrown aside just as quick as they come into fruition; being replaced and forgotten. A lot of fashion styles and items can’t be seen in more than 5 places, whether it be music videos or Ig posts, before someone’s called out for “stealing swag”. A few iconic pieces however, have garnered enduring attention/love that illicit feelings of respect and familiarity when seen on our contemporaries. Items like these, that bridge people through displaying knowledge about a scene and an appreciation of style, soon become essential. One of these essentials, underground essentials, has to be the Dr. Martens boot.
photo credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Dr. Martens boot has a rather extensive origin story starting in post World War II Germany where Dr. Klaus Märtens developed an air cushion sole alongside plastics engineer Herbert Funk, in attempts to heal a skiing injury. After a decade of gaining popularity with older women in Germany the manufacturing rights were sold to an established British work boot company called Griggs. Before advertising, and selling as much needed comfortable workwear in Britain, a few changes were made including the addition of the iconic yellow stitching. This then birthed the Dr. Martens 1460 boot which, like Levi jeans, came from an authentic workwear perspective disregarding fashion entirely, yet managed to become a pinnacle moment in fashion itself.
The boots were consequently adopted by an array of indie subcultures within the UK, and then the US. It wasn’t just about style and it never could be; the boots are in essence ugly looking and come with a clownish silhouette. They were a statement piece. And the statement was of an antisocial counterculture. Skinheads and working-class Brits used it as a rebellious form of self-expression. Note that the Skinhead subculture wasn’t initially racially motivated, with there even being black skinheads from the Caribbean that helped birth ska punk. There was a massive irony in this however, as the police they were so defiant to were wore the same boots.
photo credit: Getty Images
Docs then managed to weave their way into practically every influential subculture from the 70s to the 90s. After the skinheads, it was the punks who were found in Docs. A style and aesthetic (punk) very prevalent in a lot of sound cloud culture today. It was the rebellious not giving a fuck type of attitude needed to rock the boot that the punks took. It might also explain why glam rock too adopted the boot, adding their own spin with glitter and spray paints. Perhaps an early example of DIY luxury trash fashion. It was bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash who later stapled the boot to the essential rock look, allowing for American bands like Nirvana and the whole grunge seen to embrace and give it global visibility. By the 90s everyone knew and the ones that didn’t get it or understand it didn’t need to, as they’d never be a part of it.
photo credit: Ted Polhemus
With the brand and the boots growing popularity worldwide, it’d start to lose what made the boot in the first place. The ever so important punk image was being lost with every Tv appearance. Whether it was on Friends or being sported by another so called troubled celeb. This of course, was to its detriment as sales started to sharply decline in the 2000s. With rock music taking a step back and “subculture culture” fading away alongside it, Dr. Martens were losing their place in the world. After almost going bankrupt the brand had to cut off expensive manufacturing in England and move it to China. To stay afloat a revival was much needed.
photo credit: Dr. Martins x Supreme
This revival came in the form of looking forward not backwards, forward to collaborations with brands that would respect the legacy yet open itself to new markets. From 2007 the revenue started to slowly increase where in the same year Dr. Martens collaborated with Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. The brand has also been smart to produce collaborations and partnerships with brands such as: Raf Simons, Bape, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Vetements and Commes Des Garcons. The brands listed suggest to us the type of audience they’re trying to reach out to, with it being young trendy street wear savvy kids. The brand also brought in newer more current lines, plus new ownership with Permira early this decade. All of which worked out in their favour, with a healthy revitalisation in pop culture. Celebrities would wear them again with even Miley Cyrus fitting a pair during her “Disney star goes bad” phase, wearing nothing but Docs in her Wrecking Ball music video.
photo credit: Vetements x Dr. Martens
About 5 years later, today, with mainstream hype dying down where do they remain? On the feet of those feeding off the same energy that popularised them in the first place. Being unashamedly different and sticking it to common convention. Females in the underground have found that the chunky figure compliments the heroin chic inspired goth look that’s quite popular today. Consisting of pale makeups, monochromatic colours and a lot of vintage pieces. And whilst the extensive origin might not be common knowledge to its wearers. Those in Dr. Martens know it has punk history and the edge it comes with.