Dr Martens, a very British Boot
It all started with a design for an air cushioned sole and some nice soft leather that Klaus Martens ‘acquired’ after the Second World War from a cobblers shop. It wasn’t that Klaus Martens was a closet shoe designer, burning with a desire to make a foot fashion statement, more of a case, as with most great inventions, he had a problem that needed solving, namely an injured ankle that made his regulation army boots extremely uncomfortable to wear.
The boots weren’t an instant commercial success for Heir Martens after the war and it wasn’t until a friend of his, Dr. Herbert Funck teamed up with him that they found their customer base. No, it wasn’t a cult group of youngsters, or the rebel pop stars of that time, in fact 80% of their boot production during the late 1940s and through most of the 1950s were sold to middle aged German women, who found the boot both comfortable, practical and durable.
Production of the boots at Seeshaupt in Germany for the local market proved lucrative enough for the company to expand their production after only about five years and in 1952 a second factory in Munich was opened. By the end of the 1950s, Martens and Funck decided to look beyond Germany to market their boots. British shoe manufacturers Griggs not only saw an opportunity for the boots with the cushioned sole but were so sold on the idea that they bought patent rights to manufacture the footwear in the United Kingdom. Indeed the boot we now recognise as the classic Dr Martens is the modified British version, for it was Griggs who introduced the trademark yellow stitching along with some slight re-shaping and coined the name Air Wair which then became a trademark name for that type of sole. And so it was that on April 1st 1960 the boot known as style 1460 was born in Wollaston, near Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, renowned for its shoe industry. The classic eight eyelets, Ox Blood coloured, smooth leather boot became iconic amongst youth cultures as well as a very practical choice of footwear for many British workers who earned their living on their feet.
A decline in sales at the beginning of the 21st century saw the Dr. Martens boot cease production in the UK, exactly 43 years to the day after it started. The ceasing of production in the UK was however only temporary and in 2007 the factory at Wollaston once again began to produce Dr Martens boots, made to the original UK specification and marketed as the ‘Vintage’ line.
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