subject: Dr Martens - The History [print this page] The Dr Martens is a globally recognised brand that has received much admiration and support over the years. The boots beginings lie with Dr Klaus Maertens, damaged foot. During a skiing holiday, Dr Klaus injured his foot and wished to create a boot which would be comfortable whilst his feet healed. The result of this was a boot, made out of rubber tires, which trapped air in the sole cushioning the foot. Upon completion of making the boot, Klaus showed them to his engineer friend Dr Herbert Funck and the two began selling the shoe in Germany.
Having had quite a substantial amount of success with the boot in Germany, the pair realised they needed an external manufacturer to make the boots in the volumes they required. Unfortunately, most shoe producers were sceptical of the air cushioned sole' concept. After much searching, Klaus & Funck found a factory in UK willing to produce the boot. This was how the 1460 got its name, as the date of first production of the Dr Martens was 1/4/60.
Before mass selling the boot in the UK, the original name of the shoe Maertens' was anglicized to Dr Martens and the famous AirWair tag was added to the logo. Instantly accepted by skinheads, Dr martens spread through the youth subcultures Grunge, New Wave and Punk. This mass appeal helped the brand to expand both at home and abroad. Since the 1970s the AirWair tag has been attached to many different styles of shoes from sandals to steel capped work boots.
Whilst this range is now available all over the world, Dr Martens have not always seen success. 2003, saw the brand experience falling sales, in reaction, Dr Martens closed their UK production facility and moved it to Thailand. It was four years before production returned to the UK. As a celebration of this return, Dr Martens launched the Vintage' line, the original boot made to the original specification.
The AirWair tag has graced the side of many comfortable Dr Martens boots, all of which have seen the benefits of the air cushioned sole and the unmistakeable durability of the Dr Martens boot.
