Not a load of old cobblers..

I’ve long been a fan of brands which have a real historical factor, and are constantly seeking to innovate. Penguin, Kodak and Guinness, to name but a few.

And I believe Dr Martens fall into this category. As they put it on their site, “No other ‘brand’ has been mutated, customised, fucked up and freaked out like DM’s. Without asking or being able to stop it.”

Now, a lot of brands over a certain age try to assert their historical, ‘we were first’ credentials. And a statement like the one above looks like puffery if you aren’t careful. So, it is nice to see them actually walking the walk (not an intentional pun, I promise), and actually giving the masses something to play with.

A contemporary classic is what, I’d imagine, the likes of Converse and Vans are constantly trying to achieve. Where those brands differ from Dr Martens, for me (as an innocent shoe bystander with no real loyalty to any of them, to be honest), is that they aren’t regarded as having the ability to last. Dr Martens, as a brand, and as a shoe, can actually make assertions like the one above because I would imagine (in the event of any post apocalyptic landscape) that Doc Martens will still be about. Not quite so convinced by t’others.

Annnyway, all of that waffle leads me to a site which some friends of mine have designed for DM.

Yes, you can make a design for a boot, which will be available in DM shops worldwide, and you’ll receive a thousand pounds for your trouble. I like these kind of campaigns. Especially when I’m guaranteed to win the money:

I’m not sure if ANYONE can beat that bad boy, but if you think you could do better, go here..

Nina, Lauren, Tom LR, Ben, Smithy – I expect submissions. With pictures, just like mine..go on. If you are interested, join the Facebook group here.