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Dr. Martens

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Born out of an unlikely marriage between a German inventor and an English family from Northamptonshire, Dr. Martens started its life as a working class boot before becoming an iconic symbol of rebellion and revolution.

Dr. Martens dates back to 1945 when German army doctor Klaus Märtens injured his ankle while skiing. He found his army boots too uncomfortable, so made a pair of boots with soft leather and soles made of tyres; he later made boots with leather and air-cushioned soles and began to sell them. In 1952, British family shoe company R. Griggs Group Ltd bought rights to manufacture the shoes in the UK. They re-shaped the heel and added yellow stitching, becoming the boots that we know and love today.

The first Dr. Martens boots came out in the UK in 1960. They were embraced first by the working classes and later by the punks, who rebelled against capitalist consumerism using Dr. Martens boots as a symbol of the working classes. Before long, almost every other subculture adopted the boots as their symbol of empowerment, individuality and freedom.

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