Not many shoes transcend the boundary of both style and substance. But Dr. Martens, with its trademark air-cushioned sole and distinctive yellow stitching, has made that borderline its own. Worn on everyone from rebels to style icons and modern day superstars, it's become a sartorial staple.
For everyone who wears one, your "doc" stands for your own individual style. Yet, at the same time, when you spot a fellow wearer, there’s that slight nod of recognition: a bit of a bond, united in a shared spirit of some post-modern fashion tribe that involves everyone from punks to dedicated followers of streetwear.
With that in mind, Dr. Martens’ latest campaign celebrates this very fact. Under the rallying cry ‘Individual Style. United Spirit’, the brand is inviting people to stand up and be counted, asking what their wearers stand for through the #STANDFORSOMETHING hashtag.
For the coming Fall/Winter season, the brand built upon rebellious self-expression collaborated with UK-based artist Mark Wigan for a special collection of footwear and accessories. Wigan’s work (himself an avid doc wearer) is typified by large-scale, brightly colored murals, featuring sharp angles and shapes, small mythical animal motifs, and heavy use of color juxtaposition. His unique take on club and youth culture, depicting diversity within the fashion, music and wider cultural scene, meant a collaboration with Dr Martens was a natural fit. Both celebrate and champion self-expression and style. Wigan's approach has seen him work on airplanes, for TV show sets but most frequently for club interiors, underscoring Dr. Martens own alternative tradition.
Meanwhile, Dr. Martens’ Fall/Winter collection includes three of the brand's staple silhouettes, finished in suitably autumnal shades. The Wilde, a Chelsea boot with a lower than average cut, has been finished in tanned, durable oak leather. The Morris, Dr. Martens' staple 5-eye brogue, comes in an extra slim cut and is finished in black, sitting as part of the brand’s Henley collection. Finally, the 1461 utilizes Dr. Martens' tried-and-true construction techniques, perfected over decades at their Northamptonshire factory, to create a shoe with a luxurious two-tone effect and finished in Boanil Brush to give a high shine.
You can view the film below or shop now the new Dr. Martens Fall/Winter 2015 collection.
If you feel like getting involved, show off and share your own Dr. Martens style on Facebook or with Instagram. Don’t forget to tag it #STANDFORSOMETHING.