In the 1940s Dr. Martens classic boots were the footwear of choice for German housewives all over the country who just loved their air cushioned soles and soft leather, which is funny as I paid my friend Ruth to break mine in, but that was the 90s and we weren’t as tough by then!
The 1960s saw the real uprising of the Doc Marten. The postmen, industrial workers and factory workers who had initially worn the boot for practical reasons were joined by skinheads and people who were pushing away the right wing conformity of the mainstream. Later in the 70s, 80s and 90s, the wearing of DMs spread amongst the emerging youth culture of Punks, Goths, Brit-Poppers and the 2nd wave Mods, they all wore this boot of choice. It represented their working class idealism but put their best foot forward. Wearing Dr Martens came to symbolism someone whose ideals lead them to live on the edge of society in youth groups that were quite tribal in nature.
It was in the 90s that women also began to wear Dr Martens as much as men. During the 60 s very few women wore Dr Martens, in fact very few women wore anything but fashion boots. It was the hard core skinhead women who really began the trend of women wearing DMs. Overall the female skinhead uniform was very masculine, yet on the right kind of woman this styling only served to accentuate their femininity and was a very sexy look. The next wave of women who wore Dr Martens were the Punks closely followed by Goths. The flood gates had opened and women from all walks of life began wearing Dr Martens with all kinds of outfits, including summer dresses. Once again a look you would not think would work, but was great.
It is quite ironic that Dr Martens made popular by the rebels of society have now become mainstream. However, they are still not so main stream that wearing them is not considered a daring fashion statement.
As the brand has developed, Dr. Martens are not ‘just boots’ any more. New lines include flip flops and platforms as well as the classic style boots. These new styles might not represent the voice of lost youth like the original bovver boots did but from what we’ve seen the designs are so unique and fresh that wearing them will still represent a sense of individuality.