Pair of classic black leather Dr. Martens boots, with distinctive yellow
stitching around the sole
Dr. Martens is a British
footwear
brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products,
clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as
Doctor Martens,
Doc Martens,
Docs or
DMs. The footwear is distinguished by its air-cushioned
sole (dubbed
Bouncing Soles), upper shape,
welted construction and yellow stitching.
Klaus Märtens was a doctor in the
German army during
World War II. While on leave in 1945, he injured his ankle while
skiing in the
Bavarian Alps. He found that his standard-issue army
boots were too uncomfortable on his injured foot. While recuperating, he designed improvements to the boots, with soft
leather and air-padded soles made of tyres.
[1] When the war ended and some Germans looted valuables from their own cities, Märtens took leather from a
cobbler's shop. With that leather he made himself a pair of boots with air-cushioned soles.
[2]
Cherry Red and Black 14-hole Dr. Martens boots
Märtens did not have much success selling his shoes until he met up with an old
university friend, Dr. Herbert Funck, a
Luxembourger, in
Munich in 1947. Funck was intrigued by the new shoe design, and the two went into business that year in
Seeshaupt,
Germany, using discarded
rubber from
Luftwaffe airfields.
[citation needed] The comfortable soles were a big hit with housewives, with 80% of sales in the first decade going to women over the age of 40.
[3]
Sales had grown so much by 1952 that they opened a factory in Munich.
In 1959, the company had grown large enough that Märtens and Funck
looked at marketing the footwear internationally. Almost immediately,
British shoe manufacturer R. Griggs Group Ltd. bought
patent rights to manufacture the shoes in the United Kingdom.
[4] Griggs
anglicised
the name, slightly re-shaped the heel to make them fit better, added
the trademark yellow stitching, and trademarked the soles as AirWair.
The first Dr. Martens boots in the
United Kingdom came out on 1 April 1960 (known as style 1460 and still in production today), with an eight-
eyelet Ox Blood Smooth leather design. Originally Dr. Martens were made in their Cobbs Lane factory (which is still working today).
[3] In addition, a number of shoe manufacturers in the
Northamptonshire area also produced DM's under license, as long as they passed quality standards. They were popular among workers such as
postmen,
police officers and factory workers. By the early 1970s,
skinheads started wearing them, and by the late 1980s, they were popular among
scooter riders,
punks, some
New Wave musicians, and members of other youth
subcultures.
[5]
They also became very popular in the 1990s as grunge fashion made its
rise to fame. The shoes' popularity among skinheads led to the brand
gaining an association with violence.
[5] In late November 1994, a six-storey Dr. Martens
department store was opened in
Covent Garden
in London which sold food, belts, and watches, as well as shoes. At
this time the R. Griggs company employed 2,700 people, expected to earn
annual revenue of £170 million, and could produce up to 10 million pairs
of shoes per year.
[6][7]
Dr. Martens sponsored
Rushden & Diamonds F.C. from 1998 to 2003, and when a new main stand was built at
Nene Park
in 2001, it was named the Airwair Stand. In the 2000s (decade), Dr.
Martens were sold exclusively under the AirWair name, and came in dozens
of different styles, including conventional black shoes, sandals and
steel-toed boots.
A Dr. Martens retail store in Hong Kong (2012)
Sales of Dr. Martens shoes declined during this period; AirWair
International's revenue fell from US $412 million in 1999 to $127
million in 2006.
[8] In 2003 the Dr. Martens company came close to bankruptcy.
[9] On 1 April that year, under pressure from declining sales, the company ceased making shoes in the United Kingdom,
[10] and moved all production to
China and
Thailand.
Five factories and two shops were closed in the UK as a result of this
decision, and more than 1000 of the firm's employees lost their jobs.
[11]
Following the closures, the R. Griggs company employed only 20 people
in the UK, all of whom were located in the firm's head office.
[12]
In 2004, Dr. Martens began producing footwear again at the Cobbs Lane Factory in
Wollaston,
England. These products are part of the "Vintage" line, which the
company advertises as being made to the original specifications.
[13]
Sales of these shoes are low in comparison to those made in Asia,
however; in 2010, the factory was producing about 50 pairs per day.
[3] In 2005, the R. Griggs company was given an award by the "Institute for Turnaround" for implementing a successful restructure.
[9]
Worldwide sales of Dr. Martens shoes grew strongly in the early
2010s, and in 2012 it was assessed as being the eighth fastest-growing
British company.
[14]
Over 100 million pairs of Dr. Martens shoes have been sold from 1960 to
2010, and in 2010, the company offered 250 different models of
footwear.
[3]
The R. Griggs company opened 14 new Dr. Martens retail stores in the
United Kingdom, United States and Hong Kong between 2009 and 2011,
[15] and also launched a line of clothing during 2011.
[16]
In October 2013, the private equity company
Permira acquired R. Griggs Group Limited (the owner of the Dr. Martens brand) for a consideration of £300m.
[17]
In Popular Culture
- Alexei Sayle and the Radical Posture sang the song "Dr. Martens' Boots" on episode 2 "Oil", series 1 of the British cult TV comedy classic The Young Ones in 1982.
Gallery
-
Distinctive yellow stitching on Dr. Martens shoe.
-
Inside of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in
England.
-
Inside of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in
Thailand.
-
Sole of pre-2003 Dr. Martens made in
England
-
Sole of post-2003 Dr. Martens made in
Thailand.
-
Dr. Martens logo stamped on the outer side of a boot.
-
Floral-patterned Dr. Martens boot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Martens
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