D O C S
Equipped with leather laces that extend into a wrap-around strap, these boots showcase a striking design. But the real surprise reveals itself on the underside: the signature air-cushioned soles are stamped with their original German inscriptions — “Benzin, Oel, Säure STAbil – DR. MAERTENS, LUFT POLSTER SCHUH.”
They date back to the period when the company was still based in Germany. The boots were designed by Dr. Klaus Märtens, a German army doctor who developed the concept of air-cushioned soles in 1945 to relieve the pain from an injury he sustained during the war. Together with his business partner, Dr. Herbert Funck, he began producing and selling these innovative boots in Germany in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
This groundbreaking invention — and its name — was later adopted by the British Griggs Company, giving rise to the now-iconic Dr. Martens brand that would conquer the world.
