Their boots are eccentric in the simplest way. Ranging from high fashion markets to the streets, Dr. Martens shoes can be spotted on the feet of youth and the elder. If you wonder how its movement started, here, we’ve summed it up for you.

On a stylistic level, Dr. Martens’ clean silhouettes allow those who wear it to adopt the boots and shoes as part of their distinctive style. On a practical level, their famous durability and comfort make them ideal for the unforgiving world of gigs and street fashion. And finally, on an emotional level, they are a badge of attitude and empowerment of one united spirit. However, it wasn’t always this way; Dr. Martens were originally a modest work-wear boot that was even sold as a gardening shoe at one stage of its history. So, how did this utilitarian boot transform into one of the most culturally relevant and adored brands regardless of which fashion trends come and go? It’s actually a quite interesting story.

1901, Cobbs Lane Factory
It all began in 1901, when the Cobbs Lane Factory was established in Northamptonshire, England. Cobbs Lane is a reference to the British slang for shoemaker or “cobbler.” The Griggs family owned this shoe factory for generations before launching Dr. Martens.

1945, Munich
Post-war Munich, a 25-year-old World War II soldier created a unique air-cushioned sole to aid his recovery from a broken foot. Dr. Klaus Maertens developed this “bouncing soles” trademark in their rudimentary form to help take the weight off his foot.

1947, Germany
Klaus Maertens made a prototype shoe and then using disused military supplies, formal production of the unique shoes started. In within a decade, in 1957 the name “Maertens” was anglicised to “Martens” to broaden the brand’s appeal. Soon after, the classic 1460 boots was born.

1960, United Kingdom
Taking its name from date of its inception, April 1st, 1960, the eight-holed 1460 Dr. Martens boot had arrived in the Cobbs Lane Factory with a few key changes, including altered heel, a bulbous but simple upper, distinctive yellow welt stitch, two-tone grooved sole edge and a unique sole pattern.

The upper part of the classic boots is made from four leather components which are fit altogether; the quarter side panels, the tongue, vamp and the back straps and inserts. The tongue of the boot is the centre of the upper. It is stitched to the vamp and then the quarters and the eyelet stiffeners.

1963, England
The working class skinhead youth adopted the boots as part of their image in the early 1960s, keeping their pride and anti-fashion mentality. While Dr. Martens crept their way into youth subculture, police officers of Great Britain were still wearing the boots as part of their uniform.

1970s, England
Although by 1972 the first wave of skinheads was effectively over, the movement had wrenched Dr. Martens from the workplace and rooted them in youth subculture. At this stage, some punks had started taking over their image by customising their Docs as a badge of individuality.

1980-1990, Worldwide
Come to these decades, the brand became synonymous with festival culture. Musicians such as Morrissey and Kurt Cobain were known for wearing the boots. By 1994, some 50% of Dr. Martens wearers were female and the company had begun to produce more colours, patterns and styles.

2003, Asia and England
In 2003, production was moved to Asian countries due to declining sales, and got back to its origin factory the following year. To date, “Made in England” products are still manufactured in the Cobbs Lane. With 1,200 pairs a week, they produce approximately 1% of the brand’s output.

2015, Worldwide
Dr. Martens launched “Give a Toss” campaign in 2015 with the aim of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. Wastes are collected and sent to recycling centres for processing. As a result of this enviromental campaign, Dr. Martens are now only sending 3% of waste to depot from these sites.