Dr. Martens is an English brand of German origin founded in 1947. It produces work boots and casual shoes, which became widely known for their popularity among various subcultures and musicians. In this article, we will talk about the founders of Dr. Martens, the move from Germany to the UK, the influence of youth movements, its popularity these days, major collaborations, and much more!
Griggs & Co. Ltd
The history of Dr. Martens began long before the famous brand appeared. In 1901, Benjamin Griggs and Septimus Jones opened a shoe factory in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, the center of the British shoe industry. Coincidentally, after ten years, the companions stopped working together. Instead, Benjamin Griggs’s son Sebastian joined the business and founded R. Griggs & Co. Ltd.
The family business flourished – the Griggses produced high-quality leather shoes and gained a reputation as a reliable manufacturer. Forty years later, William Griggs, better known as Bill, took over the business. The new executive organized local shoemakers into a cooperative and began producing boots using Goodyear Welt technology. With this method, the soles of the shoes could be easily replaced, extending the life of the pair several times over. In 1955, Bill Griggs’ son Max also joined the company.
Klaus Märtens
The idea was only realized in 1947, also believed to be the year Dr. Martens was founded. Apart from Klaus Martens, his friend Herbert Funk, who ran a small appliance manufacturer, was involved in developing the technology. Funk suggested using rubber to make waffle liners of the material, which were then placed inside the soles. The result was a construction of several layers, where the upper was attached to the shoe, the middle consisted of rubber and air, and the last served as the sole. Finally, the partners patented their invention and began working on mass production.
Märtens and Funk’s first customers were former soldiers who suffered from foot pain. They bought ready-made soles and mounted them on factory-made shoes, so the footwear quickly spread, and orders soon began flowing in from other parts of Germany. At some point, demand exceeded supply, and the entrepreneurs started looking for partners who could produce enough goods and present the product in other countries. The Swiss company Grosse was the first to be entrusted with the production of Märtens soles under license. In the 50s, Grosse opened a factory in Wollaston, but after a while, it went bankrupt, and the factory was bought by Griggs.
Dr. Martens
Bill Griggs was impressed by Märtens and Funk’s technology. So in 1959, the parties signed an agreement to produce shoes under the Martens brand. Moreover, Märtens and Funk received a commission for each pair sold, and the Griggs family had exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights. The shoes first went on sale as Dr. Martens Air Cushioned Soles, but a little later, on April 1, 1960, the first Märtens and Funk shoes were named after their launch date, Dr. Martens 1460.
The original version of the silhouette has a sturdy genuine leather upper and construction with eight holes for laces. The main advantage of the model is the sole with AirWair technology developed by Klaus Märtens and Herbert Funk. From day one, the boots became a bestseller. The shoes became a bestseller from day one. The “1460” models were adopted by letter carriers and workers and finally by people who prefer comfortable but inexpensive shoes.
In the ’60s, R. Griggs & Co. Ltd. made a series of strategic investments: Griggs bought the Goodyear Welt co-op, several neighboring factories, and even the business of Septimus Jones, former partner of Benjamin Griggs.
Dr. Martens shoes were in demand, but the real success came with the brand and the classic “1460” model when the shoes penetrated the closets of young people and the rebellious subcultures that originated in England.
Rock, Youth, Dr. Martens
Postwar teenagers were very demanding, many of them unhappy with social inequality and poverty, and some became skinheads. This subculture emerged as a counterbalance to the “teddy boys” or “mods” – British teenagers obsessed with careers, scooters, and clothes. Unlike the mods, the skinheads represented the working class – they were ordinary guys from the suburbs who liked to listen to music and express their disgust with the bourgeoisie. Skinhead style begins with a shaved head, simple clothing – T-shirts, polo shirts, and tight blue jeans. Favorite skinhead shoes were Dr. Martens 1460, which protected their feet during fights and noisy concerts.
It is known that Dr. Martens shoes were not only worn by skinheads; at that time, the “1460” model sold for two pounds so that everyone could afford a pair of legendary shoes. The Dr. Martens brand was also in demand among other subcultures, such as the black rude-boys – fans of ska music. In addition, in the 70’s, when the wave of popularity of punk rock began, many musicians and fans of the genre preferred Dr. Martens shoes. Historians say that Pete Townsend of the legendary band The Who was one of the first on the big stage wearing 1460 shoes. Besides, Elton John’s character in the film adaptation of the rock opera Tommy wore a pair of Dr. Martens.
Naturally, the “1460” boots were in the closets of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and other stars of that era. Thus this brand became an integral part of the style of the new wave musicians and soon a symbol of British fashion. When foreign artists came to England on tour, the first thing they did was to purchase a pair of Dr. Martens boots.
That’s how the brand’s products became known in other countries, where representatives of the hardcore scene, metal, and grunge tried on the legendary leather shoes.
Modernity and Collaborations
Speaking of collaborative releases based on Dr. Martens shoes, one can endlessly list the names of designers and brands who had a hand in creating the new shoes. The collaboration with Dr. Martens began back in the ’90s, as the “1460” shoes left a mark on the youth of many designers of that period.
For example, Marc Jacobs first created a design for Dr. Martens back in 1993; Jean Paul Gaultier admitted that he used the British brand’s shoes for his shows in the 80s, and 30 years later, he repeatedly came up with flamboyant collections based on the iconic boots. As a result, special editions of Dr. Martens come out almost as often as popular models of sneakers. And in some cases, they cause a stir comparable to the rarest of releases. Collaborations with Raf Simons, Yohji Yamamoto, Supreme, Stussy, COMME des GARÇONS, UNDERCOVER, and WTAPS are among the most successful ones.
What is more, Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy and famous sneaker-enthusiast Ronnie Fieg managed to make a limited edition of Dr. Martens. The brand also respects representatives of the world of music and art – in different years, the Dr. Martens collections included models from The Who, Sex Pistols and Joy Division, the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and other significant persons.
Today Dr. Martens is an established footwear classic, an important part of British and global culture. They are shoes that will never go out of fashion because they have no direct relation to them. Created in collaboration between two German enthusiasts and a factory in the heart of England, Dr. Martens has left a distinctive mark on the history of the shoe industry and the hearts of millions.
