Fashion Fact Friday
✨Doc Martens✨which are known today as the staple combat boot in your closet. The 90’s fad that has circled back to find all of us dipping back into the depths of our closet digging out those boots that helped define our style as we strutted through the halls of high school.
However, the trend started way before any of us were born in 1901 in Wollaston Northhamptonshire in the English Midlands by the Griggs family. They were the go to for work boots based on quality and reputation and this continued for 6 decades. Fast forward 1945 post war Munich, a soldier Dr. Klaus Maertens, had a broken foot and created an air cushion sole to aid in his recovery. He took a prototype to a friend and mechanical engineer and shortly became partners and had a booming business by 1957.
As the Grigg family found itself being run by the third generation they came across an add for an innovative air cushioned sole. They bought an exclusive license and made some changes that are what today are widely recognized as the 1460 Dr. Marten. They had the distinctive yellow welt stitch, a two toned groove sole edge and the unique sole pattern.
The boot was originally worn by factory and postal workers but when Pete Townshend of The Who wore them it changed the trajectory of the Doc Marten. They continued to be a symbol of individualism and fashion in Britain over the next two decades and when American musicians started bringing them back to the West Coast the Americans love for the Doc Marten blossomed. 🤍
As music evolved they took Doc Martens along for the ride until 2000 when all but 1 of the UK factories were shut down to avoid bankruptcy. In 2003 when high fashion designers started to customizing and reinterpreting the original 1460, the Doc Marten was rebirthed. Now today we see the classic 1460 being worn by all generations and instead of rooting through our own closets for that vintage pair (let’s be honest if you still own yours they are over 20 years older which makes them vintage 😉) we merely need to look on our children’s bedroom floor.
