The History of Dr Martens

The story of this iconic brand.

While their story starts in turn-of-the-century Northamptonshire, England with the Griggs company, it was the post-war period that really saw the dawn of the now iconic Dr Martens boots. In 1945, young soldier Dr. Klaus Maertens, was recovering from a broken foot. The leather-soled footwear of the time was too hard on his injury, so he developed an air-cushioned sole to aid in his recovery.

Maertens’s university friend Dr. Herbert Funk saw the genius in his invention, and together their new business quickly took off. In 1959, the pair began advertising in overseas footwear trade magazines and word of the innovation spread to Northampton’s famous shoe-making Griggs family. In the late 50s Griggs acquired the license to the Doctors’ design, birthing the instantly recognisable Dr. Martens 1460.

@thefantasy

In the decades since, the Doc has been many things to many people, but has always remained heavily rooted in its working class beginnings. The boots were an iconic symbol of the 1960s Skinhead movement – a blue-collar response to the pomp and flourish of the Mods and Teddy Boy subcultures – their ‘uniform’ consisting of tightly cropped hair, Levi’s denim, white t-shirts and hardy pair of Docs.

But it was the 70s that would see Dr Martens become a true counterculture icon. As with many symbolic clothing items, the boots were inextricably linked to music. Pete Townsend of The Who was the first high-profile person to wear them as a return to his own working class pride and need for practicality. The Skinheads and Mods made way for the splinter cultures like Punk, Ska, Glam and Goth – each adopting the boots as a symbol of self-expression and youth-culture.

@mikaelamathisen

Musicians touring Britain brought the boots back to US in the 80s, beginning the connection to American subculture. And as Grunge became the sound of the era, Dr Martens became the footwear.

The new millennium saw a sharp decline in sales for the English icon, closing all but one of their UK factories in an effort to beat bankruptcy. But a revitalisation program, spearheaded by designer collaborations and nods to its history as a subcultural staple, has seen the brand flourish once more.

@drmartensofficial

With changing musical attitudes, Dr Martens cultural significance has shifted away from the struggles of class and towards the more light-hearted worlds of festivals and pop music. However, one thing is for certain, the “the bouncing sole” will continue to leave their mark on culture wherever they go.

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