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Submitted by C Rother
Docs have been popular with a number of different groups — blue collar Brits in the ’60s, punk rock and New Wave kids in the ’70s, and grunge-era Americans in the early ’90s. For a fashion trend, Dr. Martens were of a particularly high quality, which is probably why they’ve been so beloved by so many different subcultures.
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Mine are 25 years old!
Mine are 13 years old and the only thing that’s worn out on them are laces! I LOVE my Docs!
i always wanted a pair, being the grunge teen of the 90’s. but my parents never would get them for me. now that i’m a adult i always think about getting them, but now that i have kids i can’t afford them!
They don’t sell them in New Zealand anymore.
LONG LIVE GRUNGE!!!
Jeanco. beat up old flannel shirt, and my Docs… ready for any thing!!
<3 my Docs. I wear my footwear hard, so I will never have a 25-year-old pair!! Have had so many pairs in the past – it's hard to let them go even when they get ratty. Total win!!
I love love LOVE my docs. I remember the more holes you had the more bad ass you were. Lol.
I had 8 hole and I was jealous of a friend who had 10 holes.
I love my Docs!!! And I totally lucked out on buying some knee high docs one day. XD They were originally $114 and I bought them for $34!!!!!! I spent every afternoon breaking them in and I love to wear them with my punk clothes!!!!
I have no great love for the Docs but that’s a pretty good deal
New Wave was an 80’s movement
Nope, New Wave started mid 70’s and ran concurrent with punk, mainly used for acts that had elements of the punk ethos but with out the rawer edge, and included acts like Elvis Costelo & Ian Dury.
I want 14 hole Docs!
Great boots, great quality. Worth the price! Good thing you can still buy them.
I don’t think I’ll ever grow fully out of the punk days. =)
I remember that these things caused a small issue because both punks and skinheads (the SHARPS and bad neo-nazi kind) wore them, and occasionally people would sneer at us in suspicion. Ignorant. That hasn’t happened in a long time though, so I suppose they aren’t really associated with that anymore.
Don’t count on it. Skins, Punks and even Boneheads still sport Docs. In and around NYC most often with red laces(for NYHC). W\e haven’t become extinct. We just aren’t trendy anymore. That’s actually a good thing.
I remember the news talking about these shoes being popular
with skinheads about 17 years ago.
I love how my older Docs just mold around my feet from all the use. And though my friends were telling me that it’s hard and painful to break them in, I never had any problems….it was just meant to be!! XD
I have NEVER had problems breaking in Docs – your friends are probably buying the wrong size
I put lime green laces in mine in 1996…. I still have them but they are worn right out….
Got mine over in england over 11 years ago. I still have em.
My UK made 14 holer’s are almost 15 years old and get worn at least twice a week… use them for the motorbike commute in to work, don’t need to pack a pair of shoes as under suit pants nobody knows I’m wearing boots that go half way to my knees….
Came for this!!! You are awesome for posting this!!!
Why wasn’t this on the front page!!!!
DOCTAH MAHTINS!!
The Scofflaws paid respect to this in their cover of ‘These Boots are Made for Walking’.
YES. I was scrolling down to see if someone else had posted this… EPIC WIN.
The Young Ones should be posted on Once Upon a Win. That show was an Epic Win indeed.
My dad wore these in the 80s without knowing they were cool…now THAT’S cool! He just wanted comfortable, practical shoes.
I wore them in the middle of the summer, with shorts, and tube socks scrunched down. I looked like a right dumbass, but they held my ankle in place cause I screwed it up. Doc Marten’s: Practical, and stylish!
Destroying crappy disco record FTW!
I don’t know where mine are. Must find them.
BOOOOOO! The doc don’t make steel toes nomore!
(I apologize for the grammatical atrocity that I just penned, however it did not seem appropriate otherwise.))
Are you sure?
I’ve just ordered a pair… if that’s really the case, then I’ll order more!
Original article also neglects to mention how popular Docs are in the (female) gay community…
http://www.drmartens.com/ProductList.asp?Cat=industrialmens&type=All
you’ll find Steel Toe in the Industrial Men’s catalog…
Heavy + uncomfortable + decreased agility + no half sizes = suck. Replace with Adidas Gazelles for a rip-roarin’, old-school experience.
I will agree that I like my Asics for working out… but the big heavy Docs were epic for hyking in.
I was too poor for Docs..too punk for Docksiders….so I had to make do with Chucks.
I was totally hoping somebody here would have a link to the cool ass radio commercial for Doc Martens that featured Barbara Billingsly.
June Cleaver KICKS ASS!
I had one pair of 8-eyes, that i bought on my first trip to NYC. They lasted me through everything for about 10 years.