Nearly three decades after they made their first appearance in a boutique store at Cagayan de Oro’s first ever shopping mall, the iconic British is back at the ground floor of Centrio Ayala Mall.
Dr Marten’s Botique Store now open at Ground Level of Centrio Mall
First snapped up by trend setting teens at Tito and Girlie Mora’s PADRINO Boutique store during the early 1990s, a much expanded line is now available from the first Dr. Martens boutique store which opened sans fanfare last May 27.
Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, or Docs, rank right up there with other globally recognized Brit design icons like the Concorde, Mini, Jaguar E-Type, Aston Martin DB5 (007’s ride in Thunderball and Skyfall, dummy!), the Supermarine Spitfire, Tube map, World Wide Web and AEC Routemaster bus.
The iconic Dr Martens Mary Jane shoes still a fast seller after all these years
Besides the flagship Mary Jane shoes which still sell like hotcakes (bilibid or not!), the new lines include the iconic AirWair, Re-Invented, Women’s, Kids, among others.
Docs are distinguished by air-cushioned soles (Bouncing Soles), upper shape, welted construction and yellow stitching. The boots have been the choice of footwear among various groups in British culture: in the 1960s skinheads started to wear them, “Docs”, being the usual naming, and by the late 1980s, they were popular among scooter riders, punks, some new wave musicians, and members of other youth subcultures.
The Dr Martens boot is one of the most famous and iconic shoes in the world, having been born in Germany by creator Klaus Maertens. The classic boot has been the footwear of choice for rebellious youth culture and has never lost its cool aura and divisive style. It’s been a constant symbol for fighting back against ‘the establishment”.
Dr. Martens’ appeal to people who have their own individual style but share a united spirit – authentic characters who stand for something. People who possess a proud sense of self- expression. People who are different.
On a stylistic level, Dr. Martens’ simple silhouettes allows their wearers to adopt the boots and shoes as part of their own individual and very distinctive style; on a practical level, their famous durability and comfort make them ideal for the unforgiving world of gigs and street fashion; and then finally on an emotional level, they are a badge of attitude and empowerment.
Dr. Martens were originally a modest work-wear boot designed by Dr. Klaus Maertens, who created a unique air-cushioned sole to aid his recovery from a broken foot. Using a salvaged cobbler’s last and a needle, Maertens made a prototype shoe and showed it to an old university friend and mechanical engineer, Dr. Herbert Funk.
The two went into partnership by using disused military supplies to begin producing their unique shoes. By 1947 they began formal production and within a decade had a booming business, mostly selling to older women. In 1959, they decided it was time to advertise their revolutionary footwear invention in overseas magazines.
The Griggs company in England acquired an exclusive license to manufacture the boots branded as ‘AirWair’ which came complete with a black and yellow heel loop featuring the brand name and the slogan “With Bouncing Soles” (based on Bill Grigg’s own handwriting). Taking its name from date of its inception, April 1st, 1960, the eight-holed 1460 Dr. Martens boot had arrived.
Dr Martens AirWair
The 1960s – the decade in which the Dr. Martens boot was born – saw an unprecedented wave of change, new ideas, cultural upheaval and eventually social revolution. This radical atmosphere also witnessed extravagant and often exotic fashion, an odd backdrop for the birth of such a functional work-boot, but then Dr. Martens has always kicked against the norm.
Initially worn by postmen and factory workers, Dr. Martens’ first few years of existence was very much that of a £2 work-wear boot, selling solid quantities to Britain’s working classes. Then something incredible started to happen..
Without any warning or intent, Dr. Martens were suddenly picked up by early multi-cultural, 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 own working class pride and rebellious attitude. In so doing, both first generation skinheads and Townshend altered the course of the brand’s history, changing this functional work-wear boot into a subcultural essential.
The new and the classics
The decade of glam, punk, Two Tone and early goth saw British youth culture mushroom into countless distinct tribes. Each successive new tribe who adopted the boot subverted the style of the previous wearers – yet large sections of the anti-establishment underground continually championed Dr. Martens. By the end of the decade the boot had become a fierce symbol of self-expression at the very heart of British youth culture.
With Britain plagued by anti-government riots and social resentment, youth culture rose up from the streets with yet more highly visual and individual tribes such as psychobilly, grebo and scooter boys.
Its history became closely linked to British youth cultures and their preferred musical genres such as the Mods (jazz, ska, reggae), Hippies (Beatles, Cream, Jimi Hendrix), Punks (Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones), Skinheads (reggae, ska, R&B, punk), and Grunge (Nirvana).
Grunge turned the mainstream music world on its head and took Dr. Martens along for the ride. Back in Britain, Britpop rebelled against this so-called ‘loser kid’ apathy but did so in the same boots, the 1460.
The emergence of nu-metal and very early emo saw yet more new music genres adopt the boot. The brand also became synonymous with festival culture.
Shortly after the brand’s fortieth birthday, sales declined so dramatically that all but one of the UK factories had to be closed to stave off bankruptcy. Then in 2003 the revitalization of the famous brand began with high fashion designers from around the globe re-interpreting and customizing the classic 1460 boot.
In 2007 the resurgence continued when the original Cobbs Lane factory in Northampton factory resumed making hand-made Dr. Martens Originals.
In the era of the global village and social media, every aspect of youth culture and subcultural style has changed. Yet diverse individuals, fans and subcultures still champion Dr. Martens, attracted by its unique alternative appeal and authenticity in a world of homogeny.
Jay-R and friends show us how to flaunt your Doc Martens (photo by Vincent Tom Udasco)
In 2010 a revitalized Dr. Martens celebrated its 50th anniversary: five decades that have witnessed the brand’s adoption by a diverse range of tribes, celebrities, musicians and free-thinking individuals – each subverting and twisting the boots and shoes to their own personal needs, attitudes and identity.
Without music, Dr Martens would have remained a work wear boot. The music of tribes who wear Dr. Martens has become inseparable from the brand itself. Wither will world music bring Docs next? Only time will tell…..