There seems to be a few footwear silhouettes that have transcended into timeless icons. From Nike’s Air Force 1, Adidas Superstars, and Timberlands, pop culture’s obsession with dress codes has left a lasting influence on society.

Yet, among the sea of different shoes one sees daily especially here in Melbourne, Dr Martens or more specifically the 1460 boot has earnt a place amongst the titans of footwear. It’s easy to determine why they are the consensus go to shoe of the public- the versatility in style rivals any sportswear shoe, the durability far exceeds expectations and above all else, that unparalleled feeling of making a pair of docs your own.

Growing up in Melbourne I saw a plethora of people wearing Dr Martens. From high school students wearing it for their 8-3 days, characters from tv show to bus drivers and on one very rare occasion, an amputee with prosthetic legs sporting a beaten pair of 1460s in his wheelchair.

The sheer diversity of consumers attracted an abundance of information to learn more about the brand and by the time I had enough money working my minimum wage job. I couldn’t’ve swiped my debit card quick enough before rushing home and spending two more hours breaking in the black leather with D.I.Y tactics I learnt off the internet.

Though much of Dr Martens illustrious history can be attributed to the subculture that introduced it to the streets from the skinheads to the punks, the beginning of the brand is far from glamorous. Born from the mind of Dr Klaus Maertens a doctor in the German Army during World War II suffered a horrific foot injury whilst skiing in the alps.

Motivated by the lack of proper footwear to support his foot after his ski injury, Maertens alongside old friend then turned business partner Dr Herbert Funck developed a method that enabled the soles of the boots to be heat soled onto the upper thereby creating air-tight compartments that offered sturdy cushioning and unprecedented comfort.

A decade later, armed with the Funck’s engineering knowledge and Maertens ambition, the air cushioned sole debuted on the market at the perfect time where consumers had spent years wearing unforgiving boots, the introduction of Maerten’s air cushioned sole proved to be influential.

While one can attribute most wearers of Dr Martens to a specific youth counterculture of each decade, the original consumers of Dr Martens were actually the working class. By 1950 about 80% of the brand’s consumers were women over the age of 40, postmen, and factory workers who used the boot for its utilitarian purpose and durability.

Dr Marten’s rise to prominence in pop culture started around 1959, when British shoe manufacturer Griggs group Ltd purchased the patent rights for Dr Martens. The group altered the design of the heel, trademarked the soles as AirWair and introduced the iconic yellow stitching that Dr Martens is recognised for today.

The introduction of the 1460 boot is a living reminder of the brands gargantuan impact on culture. Appropriately named for its UK release 1/4/60, the eight-eyelet boot was met with a mistake that ended up becoming its biggest appeal.

The original design of the 1460 was intended to have an oily finish on the leather with the intent that these boots were meant to endure the East London fish markets. However, a stray batch escaped quality control with its smooth black and ready feel unexpectedly approved by the masses.

It wasn’t another six years later that Dr Martens began its distinguished relationship with pop culture. Pete Townshend, the legendary guitarist of the band The Who introduced the 1460 silhouette to rock n roll that Dr Martens started to garner momentum amongst pop culture.

Townshend’s adoration for the revolutionary shoe is expressed in his song Uniforms. In it he sings “It don’t matter where you’re from/What Matters is your uniform/Wear your braces round your seat and Doctor Marten’s on your feet”.

Townshend’s influence on the 1460 boot was immediately felt. The boot became the symbol of the music scene that was laying its foundations for the legacy that was to come. Musicians, punks, goths, avid gig-goers were all in Dr Martens, the ubiquitous footwear of the youth no matter what sub-genre of culture one might occupy.

The move from Germany to the UK proved to be successful. The footwear once made for the working class was now introduced to a wider social reach in Britain inherently creating the legacy of rebellion the brand has earnt for itself.

By the early ‘70s, Dr Martens took on a whole new subculture brewing amongst the UK underground. Fed up with the hippie movement that dominated the decade previously, the rise of the skin heads subculture is what began the youth’s affinity for Dr Martens.

Trading long hair and loose clothes for shaved hair and tight workman clothes, the skinhead’s aesthetic symbolised a clear rejection of old culture values that did not align with the new marginalised youth that was coming together in the early ‘70s.

The movement was generated by socially alienated working-class youths who opposed the conservatism and restriction of the 1950s- early ‘60s. Unlike its predecessors of the peace and love ethos, the skins adopted the ‘working class outsider’ perspective which would later prove to be an influential part in the brand’s next chapter with culture.

By the mid-late ‘70s the momentum gained from the unexpected adoration of the skins towards Dr Martens paved the way for the punk movement to take over the brand’s cultural relevancy.

The variations in subculture that can be found at the time were all rooted in the same philosophy of challenging the system, stemming from the skinhead movement who gave a voice to the same marginalised working-class youths of the ‘70s which would later go on to form the punk movement.

Punk distinguished itself from the skinhead movement by rejecting the entire society as a whole. It was a calling card for the new wave of marginalised youths, too young to have existed at the era of the skins but old enough to take part in the new ethos of punk; empowerment, individuality and freedom.

This new liberal and progressive attitude towards culture only further heightened the legacy of Dr Martens. The brand itself became synonymous with this sense of danger and unwavering coolness.

Dr Martens wasn’t a shoe anymore. It was a symbol.

The brand would later be seen on the feet of punk’s most influential musicians. From The Clash to the Sex Pistols to Viv Albertine of the Slits being considered as one of the first women to wear the traditionally masculine boot with a dress, Dr Martens would go on to transcend class, background and wealth throughout the years and has become the everyman shoe.

By the ‘90s, Dr Martens rose to the top of the fashion industry. Rather than punks or skinheads, the boots started to reach the wide population. It was less about the meaning of the shoe and more about the aesthetic that came along with it.

Dr Martens started to feature on cartoons, television shows like Friends, Claire Danes and other relevant pop culture icons at the time helped generate the worldwide recognition of the iconic brand.

Since then, the brand has since continued to pay homage to its followers, collaborating on footwear with the likes of the Sex Pistols and the Who, that helped make Dr Martens the iconic brand that it today.

Dr Martens has continued to stand the test of time with its rich history in culture. However, while the brand has shown declines from past years, the enduring adoration for the British brand has been passed down from generation to generation.

Andrea Moore who joined the brand as a global marketing director in early 2019 spoke to British Vogue on the enduring legacy of the 1460 after all these years.

"It's surprising how little [that boot] has changed over the years.

We may add quadruple soles to give an alternative look, but the original product doesn't look out of place today. And what's really interesting is that it's such a diverse range of people who wear them- supermodels, footballers, musicians," she said.

From its humble beginnings in Germany to collaborations with the fashion industry’s most well revered designers, Dr Martens is a reminder of fashion’s transcendent impact on pop culture and how one man’s vision can influence generations yearning for individuality and freedom.