In 1959, two German medics, Klaus Maertens, and Dr. Funck (appropriate, I know) sought to create and market a shoe with an air cushion sole. The intention: to help Maertens convalesce after a skiing accident.
In its formative years, what came to be known as the Dr. Marten boot, was sold 80% to German women over the age of 40. It was practical, comfortable, affordable and durable. Inevitably though, fashion soon jumped on the bandwagon.
Mods adopted the boot after The Who’s Pete Townsend made them his staple uniform. The punk movement followed suite, so too did artists, as much as world leaders, and the clergy; and today, we can honestly say, Doc Marten boots know, no sex, no colour, no orientation, and no nationality. If the UN was a shoe, this would be it. The brand currently produces over 10 million pairs a year, selling an incredible 40,000 pairs a day across the world.
Everyone from the Dalai Lama to Drew Barrymore, Agyness Deyn to Pope John Paul II, Pixie Geldof to the homeless man on the corner, have been known to rock a pair of Docs.
Just yesterday, Doc Martens announced the 50th anniversary of it’s iconic boots. And like all good wine and Richard Gere, they only get better with age.
To celebrate, the brand has decided to release 10 cover songs of “cult classic tracks which represent the spirit of the people who’ve worn DMs over the past 50 years.”
So far three songs have been issued. They include the Noisettes’ version of the Buzzcocks’ Ever Fallen in Love with Someone You Should’n’t’ve, The Duke Spirit’s take on Sham 69’s If The Kids are United and DaM-FunK’s cover of a Human League song, Things That Dreams are Made Of.
Happy Birthday Doc Marten! You’re the hippest 50 year old we know.
