![]() ![]() They were also popular with protesters who held wildly different viewpoints white supremacists and anti-racists were equally likely to be seen wearing the utilitarian shoes.īy 1994, half of Docs wearers were women, and the workwear boots had made their way onto fashion catwalks – a far cry from their beginnings. Pic by Dave Hogan.ĭocs’ relationship with the punk scene cemented the shoes’ place as a staple in alternative fashion. The pinball wizard himself bought his first pair in 1967 (and penned an ode to them in “Uniform”), and kicked off a trend amongst musicians adopting them as part of their look, from the Sex Pistols to The Slits (guitarist Viv Albertine was the first documented woman to wear the boots with a dress) to The Clash. ![]() The first high-profile rock star to don the boots was Pete Townshend from The Who. Suddenly, it was no longer a workman’s shoe, but a fashion statement – and even when the skinhead movement quietened down at the turn of the 1970s, the seeds had been sown for Docs’ amazing rise to the top. But towards the end of the ’60s, skinheads discovered them, and sales shot through the roof almost overnight. In the first few years of its life, the Doc boot was mostly sold to postmen, factory employees, builders, policemen and other blue-collar workers. The Griggs family had one goal: “to make working men’s footwear comfortable”. Griggs, who bought patent rights to manufacture the shoes in the UK – and on April 1, 1960, the iconic AirWair 1460 boot, with its trademark yellow stitching, went on sale for the low, low price of £2 (if only they were still so cheap!). In 1959, they caught the eye of a British manufacturer, R. Within a decade, the shoes were flying off the shelves in their native country. He showed his engineer friend, Herbert Fünk, and the two decided to go into business together, creating these ultra-comfy shoes for wider sale. Out of action from a broken foot, our crafty doctor pal found that his regular boots were too harsh on his injuries, and designed air-padded soles out of tires to speed up his recovery. The story begins in 1945 with a 25-year-old German soldier, Dr Klaus Märtens. Whether they’re paired with skinny jeans or a floral dress, Doc Martens are a staple worldwide – so much so, that they’ve been named a British design icon.īut where did they come from? Nice snap of British punks wearing Docs by Ted Polhemus. ![]() Look around at any music festival and you’ll see them in the hundreds, providing comfort and style to eager partygoers. In the pop culture world, just about everyone has donned them, from Madonna to Jared Leto to Daria and even the Pope, who had a white pair custom-made. You’ve seen them around everywhere: those classic, eight-holed boots with the distinctive tag peeping out the back, yellow stitching all the way around and a soft-looking “bouncing sole”. ![]()
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