The History of Dr Martens Boots and Shoes

By Jusinda Meika

Most people think of Dr Martens as the maker of men's work-boots, in reality the first commercial products that they made were popular with German housewives. Because they were on their feet all day it was the air-padded soles that attracted them. At first, 80% of his clients were women.

Klaus Martens was a doctor in the German army, when he found that the army boots he was issued with aggravated an old skiing injury, so he made his own pair of boots to help relieve the pain. In 1947 he teamed up with an old friend, Dr Herbert Funck to make the first pair of Dr Martens to be sold to the public.

By 1959 the were selling their shoes and boots internationally, having opened their first factory in Munich in 1952. R Giggs began making and marketing Dr Martens footwear in the UK after buying patent rights, a market which grew quickly.

R Giggs re-branded the soles as AirWair, added yellow stitching and changed the shape of the heel. They sold their first pair on 1 April 1960. They were cherry red with 8 eye-holes for the laces, a style that are still sold today.

Initially, Dr Martens were only popular with postmen, policemen and workers that were on their feet a lot during the day. By the late 60s they had begun to be worn by skinheads. In the 70s Punk Rockers started wearing them too. Over time they have also become the footwear of choice amongst other groups of young wearers.

Today, they produce many types of footwear in addition to their boots and safety shoes range. Widening their range has given them truly universal appeal again. Until 2003, they even produced a shoe that was made without any animal products to appeal to the vegan market. After 50 years you can rely on Dr Martens to continue to innovate whilst continuing to make to manufacture their classic models. In another 50 years people will definitely still be wearing their footwear.

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Want to find out more about Dr Martens? visit www.shoesinternational.co.uk and choose the best Dr Martens shoes for your needs.