Are vegan Doc Martens waterproof? | The history of Dr. Martens

are vegan doc martens waterproof

In our article “Are vegan Birkenstocks waterproof?” we had informed you about the vegan sandals of the world famous brand Birkenstock. Today we will answer questions about another world famous brand, Dr. Martens. Are vegan Doc Martens waterproof?

The history of Dr. Martens

The history of this worldwide famous brand goes back to the 50s. Dr. Klaus Märtens was a German doctor who had the idea of making a sturdy boot. In 1945, he suffered a foot injury after a skiing accident. After his injury, Märtens had to join the Wehrmacht and put on the German military boots, which were terribly uncomfortable.

After the end of World War II, he invented new boots. He decided, together with his business partner Herbert Funck, to recycle German Luftwaffe rubber that was unusable. The rubber sole made the boots more comfortable than conventional work and safety shoes. The two Germans’ first shoes were made almost entirely of leftover army material.

are vegan doc martens waterproof

From Germany to Great Britain

In the early 1950s, the two partners were able to open a factory in Munich. In 1959 they decided to expand. It’s hard to imagine that a work shoe from Germany could become such a pop culture classic. But the doctors sold their idea to Bill Riggs from Northampton. In 1960, the first shoe was launched in the UK.

The rise of Dr. Martens shoes began in Great Britain. They quickly became a popular working class shoe. Dr. Martens boots were worn by factory workers as well as mailmen, by warehouse workers as well as policemen and soldiers.

Docs became the official outfitters of the Mods, they also matched stylistically the Lambretta scooters and the wide parkas. The Mods blended the working class’s rough look with sharply tailored suits. Pete Townsend, guitarist for the mod band The Who, jumped around in Doc Martens during his stage performances, kicking the characteristic profile of their soles almost into the faces of his fans in the front rows. In the 1975 film version of “Tommy,” The Who’s first rock opera, a very colorfully dressed, a very young Elton John stands on stage in giant cherry red twelve-holed Docs and sings “Pinball Wizard.”

If times changed, they changed the look, but never the core of the boots: for the androgynous aesthetic of early ’70s glam rock that David Bowie coined, devotees sprayed their Docs with silver glitter paint. But the Psychobillys, whose look was a monstrous combination of all youth cultures, also wore Dr. Martens. The AirWair brand, under which the collection trades, has been an unofficial supplier to the black bloc of left-wing autonomists for decades. The shoes are just perfect for outdoor life and they’re water cannon-resistant.

Are vegan Doc Martens waterproof?

The biggest plus point of the shoes is comfort. Anyone who has ever had Dr. Martens on their feet knows that it takes time for the hard leather to break in, and for the shoes to stop being stiff and pinching. Once they have adjusted, they are wonderfully comfortable and last forever. Are vegan Doc Martens waterproof? The most common materials used for vegan Doc Martens include PU, PVC and microfiber. However, they do not contain a waterproof layer.

 

 

 

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