Dr. Martens are stylish shoes that have made their way into current teen and millennial fashion. Along with their timeless style, the shoes have a fascinating history behind their start from basic work boots into what they are today.

   The original Dr. Martens shoes were popular with industrial workers in the 1950s, according to The Guardian (theguardian.com).    According to the Dr. Martens website, the massive success of the brand was far from instant. Initially worn by postmen and factory workers, Dr. Martens boot’s first few years of existence were very much that of a 2 pound [British money, about 1.33 dollars at present] work-wear boot that would be used, abused, and thrown out. With a big increase in popularity, Dr. Martens started selling solid quantities to Britain’s working classes (drmartens.com).

      The Dr. Martens website says, “Then something incredible started to happen… Without any warning or intent, Dr. Martens were suddenly picked up by early multicultural, ska-loving skinheads – who proudly championed British working-class style. Shortly after, Pete Townshend of The Who became the first high-profile individual to wear them as a symbol of his working-class pride and rebellious attitude” (drmartens.com).

   In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, Docs (a popular nickname for the boots) became popular with British teens including Mods as well as those into ska and later punk rock, as well as skinheads, according to the website Hankering for History. Mods in the 1960s wore them as well as those in the 1980s revival in the UK and America. They were imported to the United States starting in 1960. Docs are even featured in the movie Quadrophenia, whose soundtrack is by the Who (hankeringforhistory.com).

   Once a cult group from Soho, by 1963 Mods were no longer that. It was a nationwide British subculture. Mods met in all-night cafés and danced in Jazz clubs, where the Mod style would evolve and change with time. Although slim-fitting suits were very popular among males, they weren’t always practical with the scene it was growing into and Dr Martens boots became part of the look too (johnsmedley.com).

   One news website, Inside Fullerton says that Docs were part of a skinhead’s “uniform.” Docs were paired with a code in the Skinhead era called lace code. Lace code is when you change out the basic black laces that the boots often come with, and instead use different colored laces. These combinations of different colored laces would reveal something that the wearer believed in. For example, yellow stood for anti-racist, or S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads against racial prejudice) (inside fullerton.fullcoll.edu).

     Just 20 years later, in 2000, according to The Guardian, Dr. Martens had a falling out of style and this would later make the company get close to bankruptcy. In 2003, in just one year, the company’s sales dropped 30 percent. Then having to downsize, Dr. Martens ceased production in the UK and moved all production to China factories, leaving over 1000 employees jobless, and cutting production drastically. In 2003, Dr. Martens sold less than half compared to the sales in 1990 (theguardian.com).

    In 2004, according to the New York Times, with the idea of appealing to the youth, Dr. Martens started reimagining the original boot. First, the company made the boots more comfortable

    and easier to break in, along with starting production back in England. With another attempt to reel in more sales, they started a marketing trend of remaking the boot in England and labeling them a “vintage” line of boots. All of the new marketing strategies plus appeals to the youth worked and they made a strong turn around (nytimes.com).

     Since then, time has treated this boot company well. Still in 2022, Dr. Martens boots (and now loafers, platforms, and other kinds of Doc shoes) remain quite popular. Junior Devin Shoberg said, “Dr. Martens shoes are very stylish. They can be worn with pretty much anything. Although they have a downside, which is that they are very uncomfortable to break in.”   Junior Cadence Adams said, “I think they are a great quality of shoes for the price!”

   Dr. Martens boots are a staple in today’s society. These days they have found a place in almost everyone’s wardrobe, You don’t have to be into ska! They will surely be loved for generations to come.