Dr. Martens and Central Saint Martins are back at it with a 2023 design program led by CSM's very own MA Fashion students.
Students' task for the 2023 program? Get those creative juices flowing and reimagine Dr. Martins' iconic 1460 boot as a wearable outfit on top of customizing their own pair of 1460s.
Finalists were hand selected by an expert panel including Dr. Martens Creative Director Darren McKoy, CSM MA Fashion Course Leader Fabio Piras, Fashion East's Lulu Kennedy, and Supreme's VP of design Erin Magee.
As of August 21, the nine finalists — Alti Geir Alfredsson, Joyce Bao, Dhruv Bandil, Yanya Cheng, Alvaro Mars, Valeria Pulici, Maximilian Raynor, Traiceline Pratt, and Finlay Vincent — and their creations are in.
And we must say: results are pretty wild albeit very creative.
We've seen the 1460 boots buckled up, dripped out in chains, and even scribbled on before. But CSM students definitely raise the bar with their takes.
A deconstructed Doc gets broken with removable pieces. There's a pair shrouded in distressed lace. Another zig and zags, thanks to its wired makeover. There's even a Doc inside of a Doc!
Oh, and we can't forget the Dr. Martens with the, erm, party hats (?) on the toe box. Cheers!
Customized Dr. Martens 1460 were joined by the equally boot-iful outfits, like a literal silk boot mini dress and pinstripe cutout jacket look paired with extra-extra long, floor-length ties channeling the 1460s distinct contrast stitching.
Balenciaga mud show? CSM's Valeria does it better with a mucky, wet-looking dress stamped with the boot's print with "Essential" embossed on the front. After all, what's a rainy day without your trusted water-resistant Docs?
From here, four of the nine will move on to work with Dr. Martens' design and production team to bring their insanely creative samples to life at the brand's Northamptonshire factory.
Pieces will then launch during February 2024's London Fashion Week alongside the CSM MA graduate show, with winners receiving a £5,000 prize in support of their final term at CSM.
