In the 1970s many gays and lesbians joined the ranks of young people wearing Doc Martens, perhaps feeling the heavy boots gave them the strength to survive the hatred and prejudice directed at them.

For the skinheads and their imitators, big, black, clunky Doc Martens, or Docs, as they are sometimes called, were the perfect footwear because they looked threatening and tough. In the suburbs and wealthier classes, many people adopted elements of skinhead style as a fashion. Some were racist white supremacists, while others held quite opposite antiracist views. Skinhead was the name given to young people who shaved their heads and dressed in military clothes, black leather, or other threatening kinds of clothing, for a variety of political reasons. Though the manufacturers intended 1460s to be used by police and fire fighters, they were soon adopted by people in their teens and twenties, first throughout Britain, then internationally.ĭuring the 1960s many young working-class Brits who felt little connection with mainstream society became skinheads. Martens work boot, made of black leather with distinctive yellow stitching around the sole, came off the assembly line on Ap(the style is called 1460 after the European style of marking the date: day, month, year). Martens, thinking that the German spelling of the name would harm sales in post – World War II Europe where anti-German sentiment remained high due to the millions of people killed during the war when Germany invaded several European countries. Griggs and Company bought the rights to Maertens's special air-cushioned sole and designed sturdy work boots and shoes that used it. In the late 1950s respected British shoe manufacturer R. Maertens thought his shoes could sell successfully in other countries, too. Maertens's shoes were first popularĪmong older people throughout Germany who wanted comfortable, sturdy shoes. The first air-cushioned soles were made from army surplus tires. Seeking a comfortable shoe for his recovery, he joined with German engineer Herbert Funck to design a special sole of rubber sealed around pockets of air. First produced as a corrective shoe for people with foot problems, and later marketed as a work boot for people whose jobs kept them on their feet all day, tough-looking Doc Martens have been the boot of choice for many different youth movements.Īfter the end of World War II (1939 –45), a German doctor named Klaus Maertens injured his foot while skiing in the European Alps.

Martens Air Wair is the brand name of many different styles of shoes, many people only mean one thing when they speak of Doc Martens: thick soled, black leather work boots that have been favored by rebellious youth internationally since the 1960s.

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