Dr. Martens 14XX, the brand's new design incubator launched at the end of last year, has revealed its first collaborator, and it’s a familiar name for the British label. Rick Owens, anyone?
Yes, to kick-off 14XX, Dr. Martens has linked up with old friend Rick Owens for the release of a collaborative chunky boot that pays homage to the heritage footwear brand’s subcultural roots.
Titled the 1460 DMXL Megalace boot, Rick Owens' latest Dr. Martens' shoe builds on previous collaborations issued by the two brands, of which there have been several since their first outing back in 2021.
The collaboration borrows the beefy DMXL sole unit, first introduced at the end of 2023, from Dr. Martens 14XX's first collection; meanwhile, the upper of the shoe is unmistakably Rick Owens.
The Paris-based-American designer’s megalace system, which is similar to the pentagram laces used on his previous Dr. Martens collaborations, wraps around the upper of the shoe through a complex web of knots and brushed silver lace loops that creates a dizzyingly dense effect.
“I love using our collaboration to celebrate raw and ferocious self-invented abandon like that of [London-based producer and DJ] Sissy Misfit, blasting techno with trans power,” Rick Owens explains in a statement. “Dr. Martens always represented inspiration subculture to me, and I like honoring that tradition.”
The latest collaboration between Owens and the iconic footwear label will be released on February 8 via both of the brand’s websites and at select retailers like SSENSE.
Dr. Martens is a brand whose collaborative output regularly impresses, with highlights from last year including its laceless A-Cold-Wall* boots, grungy Mary Janes together with Heaven by Marc Jacobs, and some wild creations designed by students at Central Saint Martens.
This Rick Owens boot offers a first glimpse at how Dr. Martens 14XX is going to approach its collaborations.
The brand’s progressive new category was four years in the making and aims to reinterpret the brand’s rich history through big-name collaborations and limited drops.
“Dr. Martens has always gone against the grain and 14XX marks a new design chapter of boundary-pushing, forward-thinking workwear for the brand,” Darren McKoy, Dr. Martens’ creative director, previously told Highsnobiety.
And thanks to the designer's typically intricate megalace system, Dr Martens 14XX's chunky boots just got extra wild.
You haven’t got to look far to realize that pushing boundaries is something that Rick Owens specializes in: just take one look at the Fall/Winter 2024 inflatable footwear he borrowed from burgeoning designer Straytukay as proof.
