Dr Martens have been a major part of American history dating back to the 1960’s. The Dr Marten shoe came about in Munich Germany in 1945. Dr. Klaus Maertens had a skiing accident and he injured his foot, as a result he decided to make a show that was comfortable and would help his foot to heal. He created a shoe with an air cushioned sole. He used rubber from old rubber tires to get the affect. He and his friend Dr. Herbert Funck developed the shoe and started selling the shoe in Germany. In 1959 they created a company that manufactured the shoe and by 1960 a boot was created with the air cushioned insole.
Cultures Affected by Dr Martens
The name Dr Maertens was anglicized for America and reamed Dr Martens. Many cultures have been affected by the shoe. The Mods, Skin heads, Punk, Rockers, Goth, Grunge, psychobilly and SKA’s. These are some of the major youth movements of subculture that brought the Dr Martens to full world renowned recognition. The mods began in the soho clubs in London along with the skin heads with their ant-fashion culture of the working class and reggae undertones. The punk group emerged in 1975 with their anti-establishment message and anti-mainstream culture. In the 70’s and 80’s the cultures migrated to the Goth look of everything black and the grunge look of thrift store outfits like long green parkas and ripped shirts with black jeans. The psychobillies were the hard core cult like subculture and the SKA were the inner city kids from a Jamaican background.
Conclusion
Dr Martens also labeled Doc martens have been a part of youth cultures and movements since the mid 60’s. They have been along for the ride through the punk phase, the Goth phase the grunge phase and the rocker phase. Dr Martens have seen a surge of interest as the subculture changes. The fashion trend is slowly moving back into the 60’s and 70’s and the look of the Dr Martens is coming back. There are more styles and more models that are coming out that will definitely keep up with the youth subculture movement and they will make a statement.
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