Dr. Martens

History

Klaus Märtens, a German military doctor, broke a foot skiing in the Alps in 1945 and found army boots unbearable. Using abandoned Luftwaffe tyres he made a sole of sealed air chambers, and with his engineer friend Herbert Funck set up the business in Munich; their first customers were German housewives over forty. In 1959 they advertised the patent in a trade magazine and it was bought by R. Griggs & Co., a work-boot maker in Wollaston, Northamptonshire. Griggs anglicised the name, added the yellow stitching and the padded heel, and on 1 April 1960 brought out the 1460 — the name is the date. Workers and postmen bought it; then skinheads, punk, goth and britpop, each believing it was theirs.

Iconic models

• 1460 (1 April 1960)

  Eight eyelets, yellow stitching and an air sole. The name is the release date.

• 1461 (1961)

  The three-eyelet shoe, same sole. It came out the following year on the same principle.

• AirWair sole

  Sealed air chambers, invented in 1945 out of Luftwaffe tyres.

• Chelsea 2976

  The laceless version, with elastic side panels.