By There aren't many shoes with multiple nicknames out there. But if you've got a pair of Dr. Martens, you've probably got your preferred way of referring to them too: Doc Martens, DMs, Docs.
You have a relationship with your Doc Martens, get to know them in a way you rarely do with most shoes: part of the point is doing the hard yards to break them in, always hoping you'll ascend to that super-comfy fit everyone else seems to enjoy and leave the blisters-and-hobbling stage behind.
Since the first design landed in April 1960, and since Pete Townshend of The Who started wearing them onstage in 1967 they've been the shoe of choice for punks, skinheads, mods, emos, Britpop scenesters and anyone else who ever wanted to imply they thought The Man was a ruddy idiot – and latterly of fashion forward celebs after a little of that anti-establishment clout too.
What are Doc Martens?
Docs are synonymous with the punkier side of London, but their roots are in Germany. In 1945 Klaus Märtens was a doctor in – ahem – the German army. His standard issue boots weren't doing a skiing injury to his ankle much good, so he added a couple of improvements: softer leather and an air cushioned sole made from tyres. After the end of the war, looting was rife in many German cities, and Märtens nicked some leather from a cobbler and put together the first pair of DMs.
Märtens tried turning it into a business, but didn't make much headway until he met an old friend from uni, Herbert Funck, and set up shop together in Seeshaupt, Bavaria. the local mums loved these comfy shoes: over the first 10 years Märtens and Funck were in business together, they sold 80 per cent of their shoes to women over 40.
They came to Britain in 1959, when the shoemaking R Griggs Group bought the patents to Märtens' shoe, dropped the umlaut, remodelled the heel, patented the sole as AirWair, and, crucially, added that yellow contrast stitch. The first Griggs Group design, the 1460 boot, is still in production today in much the same form as it was in 1960.
The design studio is in Camden, though these days production is split between China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for the most part, and their original workshop in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, for the premium Made in England range.
How to break in Doc Martens
There's a lot of old wives' tales and superstition around breaking in DMs and getting to that comfy, hardy nirvana.
Some say you should take a hairdryer to them while you're wearing them, to encourage them to form to your feet. Others say rubbing in liquid mink oil is the way to go. Dr Martens themselves recommend wearing two pairs of socks to shield your feet – particularly your heels, arch and toes – and giving them a good flexing with your hands to mimic the action your feet will have on the leather while you're stomping about.
One nice hack they recommend is stretching out the leather while you're not wearing your shoes using a can or newspaper. The company does have a range of products which it says can help: heel pads, socks with extra padding, balsam to soften up the leather itself.
Otherwise, start slow. Wear them around the house, wear them for short periods (perhaps 10 minute segments three times a day) rather than whacking them on when you head out for a long day, or wear them on alternate days.
But first you need to buy some. Where to start? Start here. These are the best Dr Martens shoes, and how to wear them.
Boots
The original quasi-military 1460 design is the one which made Doc Martens the shoe of choice for anti-establishment subcultures since the Sixties. There have been literally hundreds of spins on the ankle-high lace-ups over the years, and now they come in eight colourways as well as editions with shearling inners, techy utility remixes, suede uppers and extended super-high-top jobs which go up to your calf.
Oxfords
The well-behaved younger brother of the 1461: looks like your classic Oxford, but with a couple of the DM trademarks thrown in. Need to add a little bit of something to a straightforward wedding outfit? Something like the 1461, with that trademark contrast stitching, will see you right. Might want to break them in before you find yourself hobbling around to 'Mr Brightside' though.
Chelsea boots
The 2976 came in in the Seventies, and are a lower-key sort of DM ready for autumn and winter. Get some fur-lined ones and you're basically wearing the world's hardest pair of sleeping bags on your feet.
Brogues
A lesser spotted variety here: the overlap between black tie properness and the inherently anti-black tie vibe of the brand is an interesting one. Shine them up and you're ready for a christening. Scuff them up a little and they're an instant outfit upgrade wherever you're off to.
Loafers
One from the archives, Docs' loafers come in two flavours: the tassle-free Penton and the very much tassled Adrian. Both have a post-punk vibe, though they can look more sharply contemporary if you go for one of the taupe or cream incarnations.
