Today, Dr. Martens offers a very wide range of shoes ranging from chunky boots to more elegant derbies.
The brand's flagship model nevertheless remains the 1460, recognizable by its yellow tongue and wide sole.
With the relocation of its production to China in the 2000s, “Doc” suffered a serious decline in its prices, but also in its manufacturing quality, particularly in terms of choice of leathers.
The brand also offers a better quality “Made in England” line (which we recommend) for a slightly higher price.
Easily found on sale, the brand's models nonetheless remain an excellent choice for sturdy boots.
To retrace the history of the legendary shoe brand “Dr. Martens” it is appropriate to go back to 1946.
That year, German doctor Klaus Märtens was injured while skiing and tried with his partner to adapt his shoes using new air-cushioned soles.
After several tests, the two friends managed to create a model with unparalleled comfort, solid and with excellent support: it is quite natural that people suffering from orthopedic problems turn to the two partners.
Success came quickly, first in Germany where the economy was experiencing strong dynamism, then throughout Europe. But to penetrate the British market which is very hostile to German products, it becomes imperative to adapt.
So in the early 1960s, “Dr. Märtens” becomes “Dr. Martens”, abandoning its German origins in favor of Anglo-Saxon consonances.
Changing universe over the course of innovations, the “Doc” achieved immense popularity among British workers: the shoes then presented excellent value for money and their reinforced toe ensured additional protection for manual workers (and later in punk fights).
From then on, the brand was deeply associated with the cultural evolutions of English society: initially workers, they became the symbol of the punk universe, that of anarchists and skinheads who founded a real code around the wearing of mythical workboots.
With the rise of sneakers and the fall in popularity of rock culture, Dr. Martens experienced a deep slump between the 1990s and early 2000s.
Recently, the brand has been rehabilitated by numerous creators playing around its non-conformist universe.
