Dr. Martens 1461 3-Eye Shoe

Lace shoe Dr. Martens is the stuff of legends. It all began near Munich Germany in 1945 when Dr. Klaus Maertens injured his foot in a skiing accidentin the Bavarian Alps. To make walking easier during the healing process hedesigned a shoe with an air-cushioned sole. Using old rubber tires heconstructed soles that had air trapped within closed compartments. He showedhis prototype to his engineer/inventor friend Dr. Herbert Funck and togetherthey decided to develop and produce the shoes. Not only did the shoe solve thedoctor s immediate problem but it also started to sell well in Germany. By1959 the two decided that they needed a company to produce and distribute theshoes then called Dr. Maertens in other parts of the world. At first manymanufacturers rejected the concept of an air cushioned sole as a short-livedgimmick. However the R. Griggs Group located in the village of Wollaston inEngland decided to go along with the idea by creating the first work bootwith the revolutionary sole. On the first of April 1960 the first cherry redeight-eyelet work boot was produced and named 1460. To sell the brand namebetter in England the name was anglicized to Dr. Martens. The range wasbranded AirWair and the rest is history.