There is probably no other such controversial brand as Dr. Martens. The UK shoe brand, which was based on the idea of a German doctor who wanted to create an army boot comfortable to wear even on injured feet, have for long been the premier supplier of boots for neo-Nazi and skinhead groups all across the world. Yet, the brand today has much wider variety of collections, with which it could become more of a mainstream teenage footwear brand. Let us see the roots of Dr. Marten’s shoes and its availability in Singapore.
Dr. Martens was founded by Klaus Martens – a German doctor who was working in the German army in the end of the Second World War. The doctor wanted to create such footwear, which is more comfortable to wear than regular army boots, especially for injured foot. He created his first pair of boots out of soft leather and included air-padded soles that he made out of car tyres. After the World War, Dr. Martens continued his shoe trade with good success selling its special boots mainly for old or middle-aged women. The brand was bought the British Griggs Group, which also bought the patent rights alongside the shoes in 1959. Griggs has further developed the boots and shoes and created their signature yellow stitching alongside the making of some adjustments in the designs. The real story of Dr. Martens boots start in the late Seventies and early Eighties, when the brands shoes have become signature trends among anarchist street groups such as punks and skinheads. Dr. Marten’s shoes were long associated with their wearers, apart from the brands several efforts to create other designs, which include the Mary-Jane sandals and creating boots in hip and neon colours or with a wide variety of decorations that included the English flag. Some eclectic and extreme designs of Dr. Martens are widely worn by the punk and Goth groups of Europe and Japan with wide success.
During the Nineties, the brand got into deep trouble with heavily decreasing sales. By that time, the management of Dr. Martens had decided to move the shoe-production to Asia, in order to decrease the costs. On the UK base, the team had started up with a serious re-branding process, with which they have created a much wider range of shoes, other than their hip looking boots. Today’s Dr. Martens come in the following categories: originals, re-invented, rugged, refined, refined and heels (for women) the brand will soon come out with its first collection of kids shoes. The re-invented Dr. Martens shoes are quite popular among all the age groups in the UK and all around the world. Today, Dr. Martens also has a separate collection, the Industrial in which it designs shoes for industrial wear and for bikers.
Apart from Dr. Marten’s shoes and boots, you can also find a wide array of clothing and accessories too in the stores of Dr. Martens. Teenagers and the young generation often wear the brand. Its originals line is popular among certain groups such as IMOs, Goths, Grunge fans and rockers. Dr. Marten’s shoes were created to be really comfortable and easy-to-wear shoes.
In Singapore, Dr. Marten’s shoes are becoming popular as industrial shoes and as typical teenage shoes. You can find Dr. Martens shoes in Singapore’s downtown, in several shops and shopping malls such as Far East Plaza, Orchard Central, Isetan, Tangs, Mandarin Plaza, Bugis Junction among other stores. Dr. Martens shoes have many authorised dealers in Singapore, which include Mustafa Centre, Robinsons, Tangs, Isetan department stores among other smaller brands.