Dr. Martens has collaborated with some impressive brands, franchises and artists. From high-fashion designers — like Rick Owens and Marc Jacobs — to beloved bands and cartoon characters, the footwear and apparel label has successfully dipped its proverbial toes into many franchises, interpreting their logos and colors in a uniquely collaborative and inventive way that aims to turn heads and drive sales.
“Dr. Martens is built on a foundation of collaboration, dating back to how Air Wair was first put together over 60 years ago. This ongoing openness to experiment and embrace new ideas is what makes our products so strong and collaborations allow for us to take it to the next level. Every collaborator we’ve worked with to date – whether it be a brand or artist – has injected a new personality into our products and demonstrated how versatile our silhouettes have the ability to be,” said Darren McKoy, Global Creative Director of Dr. Martens, to FN.
The brand’s collaborative works are its most attractive facet, garnering widespread attention and acclaim. For Dr. Martens, it’s all about working alongside the collaborators to bring their vision to life.
“For each collaboration, we open the floor to our partners to tell their story through our shoes. Really ask them the question of “what does a dream pair of Dr. Martens look like to you?” We’ll get a totally different answer from Yohji Yamamoto than Marc Jacobs, and we’ll work with them to create their honest vision while weaving our own ideas in. That’s what makes every collaboration so special – because it’s real,” said McKoy. “Beyond the designs themselves, our collaborations are about community. Our collaborators introduce us to new subcultures and countercultures, and to new people who, because of these co-led designs, decide to buy their first pair of Dr. Martens. That’s an invaluable gift to us.”
Here’s a list of Dr. Martens’ collaborations through the years:
Vetements and Dr. Martens Border Line boots are crafted from worn glossy black leather uppers. The boot is stripped of its front-facing laces and features zipper closures instead. The footwear also includes stitched tongues, rounded toes, rubber soles and yellow and black pull tabs on the ankles. The heels of the boots feature bold white lettering reading the words “Border Line.”
Reinterpreting the 1490 boots in Marc Jacobs’ grungy style, the Redux Grunge style was released for the 25th anniversary of Marc Jacobs’ famously ground-breaking catwalk show for Perry Ellis in the spring of 1993. The collection is all about nostalgia and timeless style.
The grungy boot is comprised of glossy patent leather uppers, ten-eye lace-up closure, logo applique in black and white on the tongues, pull tabs at the heels, tonal hardware, non-slip rubber soles and Dr. Martens’ iconic yellow welt stitching.
In October of this year, Jacobs and the footwear brand collaborated once again to re-up the Mary Jane. Titled the Addina Bex, the Mary Jane features smooth velvet uppers in jet-black or dark cherry-red colorways.
In celebration of Britain’s music scene, Dr. Martens created collaborative footwear inspired by the bands Joy Division and New Order and their iconic album covers. The Unknown Pleasures 1460 8-eye boot is based on Joy Division’s album of the same name.
The all-black boot features fluid embossed uppers made to look like the band’s album cover set atop plush leather. The footwear also features coordinating black lace-up closures, heel pull tabs, AirWair™ air-cushioned rubber soles and black welt stitching. Beyond the Unknown Pleasures boot, the collab also included two other 1460 boots inspired by New Order’s albums “Technique” and “Power, Corruption and Lies.”
Dr. Martens’ collaboration with the Japanese fashion label featured two Kristinn lace-up Derby silhouettes, one in dark red and one in black. The footwear was crafted of smooth leather uppers, accompanied by high-shine silver eyelets and plush air cushion rubber soles. Keeping it classic, Dr. Martens’ iconic yellow welt stitching finished off each colorway. Both brands have collaborated on various Oxford styles over the years.
Dr. Martens’ 1461 Oxford shoes got a punk rock upgrade inspired by the English rock band The Who. The footwear includes fine-grained coated leather uppers featuring the tri-color target motif that appeared on the artwork for the band’s “Quadrophenia” album. Additionally, the shoe includes red welt stitching, black lace-up closures and red and white pull tabs on the ankles.
The collaborative collection includes a range of shoe silhouettes featuring that same target motif.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American creative who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. The collaborative Oxford features graphic skull imagery and cryptic symbols on the toes, followed by plush leather uppers, yellow welt stitching, black lace-up closures, heel pull tabs and durable rubber soles.
Dr. Martens has interpreted many of Basquiat’s artworks onto its famed footwear silhouettes.
The Camo leather zip lace-up 1460 boots in collaboration with Bape, otherwise known as A Bathing Ape, features black lace-up closures, green and black leather camo-printed uppers, stitched star detailing, rubber non-slip soles, heel pull tabs, dog tag detailing and yellow welt stitching. Dr. Martens has collaborated with Bape on multiple shoe styles.
In celebration of Dr. Martens’ 60th anniversary in 2020, the brand participated in new collaborations every month. One of the brand’s many collaborations that year was with Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons. The collaborative work revamped the iconic 1460 boot, interpreting Simon’s punk meets high fashion design aesthetic by adorning the leather footwear in silver hardware that encouraged customization. Additionally, the footwear includes Dr. Martens x Raf Simons cobranding on the sides, black lace-up closures and heel pull tabs to get the footwear on and off easier.
Dr. Martens partnered with the Los Angeles-based fashion brand back in 2021. The resulting collaboration interoperates Owens’ post-apocalyptic aesthetic into Dr. Martens’ classic 1460 Bex platform boot, which became popular in the 90s. The shoes have dramatic crisscrossing lace-up closures, a design signature in many of Owens’ footwear creations.
Dr. Martens’ collaboration with the famed artist saw his murals pulled from the city streets to the shoes. The 1461 3-eye shoe features patterned uppers inspired by Haring’s iconic character, “radiant baby,” printed on Original Smooth leather. The Oxford style is finished with a dual-branded lace tag and black and yellow heel loop. Goodyear-welted lines, reinforced with Dr. Martens’ instantly recognizable signature welt stitch. The two franchises have collaborated on a whole slew of shoe silhouettes.
Collaborating with the franchise that brought us beloved characters like Hello Kitty, Dr. Martens and Sanrio created a wide range of colorful shoe styles. This collaborative Oxford is just one of many styles the franchises have created together.
It includes a whimsical multi-colored print decorating the leather uppers featuring many Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, Keroppi, Pompompurin and Badtz-Maru, among others. The footwear also comes with black laces and coordinating bright pink ribbon laces, which you can use to customize the shoe further.
Keeping cozy, Dr. Martens and Suicoke’s Mura leather sandals feature breezy open toes, molded footbeds, hook and eye fastening, ankle touch-strap fastening, pull-tab at the heels and durable rubber soles. The brands have collaborated on a slew of casual leather sandal-inspired styles.
Stüssy brought a new look to its signature 6-eye boot with help from Dr. Martens. The footwear was inspired by one of Dr. Martens’ original work boots from the 60s, the 939. The boot silhouette interoperates workwear aesthetics and features textural chestnut C. F Stead Desert Oasis suede uppers that transition into a padded collar, enhancing comfort. Additionally, the footwear includes utilitarian hiker-style laces, sewn in ‘Stüssy Work Gear’ patches on the tongues and embossed detailing on the ankles.
Martens’ iconic 1460 boot was transformed, along with an Oxford style, for their aforementioned collaboration. The Bex Neoteric boot is crafted of smooth leather uppers in a black/light gray/sunflower yellow colorway accompanied by logo-printed sides, vertical striped print, logo-printed pull tabs for easy on and off, non-slip rubber soles and coordinating black lace-up closures.
In the spring, the pair collaborated again to reimagine the 1461 Oxford shoe, paying tribute to A-Cold-Wall* and Dr. Martens’ journey thus far.
In line with Dr. Martens’ other artistic collaborations, their work with The National Gallery is a head-turner. Made for art lovers everywhere, the Oxford style features floral lily-printed uppers about Monet’s Water Lilies series of works. Additionally, the footwear includes black lace-up closures, rubber soles and yellow welt stitching.
Dr. Martens’ collaboration with The National Gallery extends to other footwear styles that received the same treatment as these oxfords.
Inspired by the English rock band formed in London, the 1460 Hole boot is crafted of Arcadia, a high-shine leather with a topcoat designed to rub off and reveal the military green base dye. The boot is embossed with the band’s logo displayed on the ankle and includes features sets of military green and black wraparound laces and classic yellow welt stitch. Each pair comes with a band logo and dog tag.
Supreme x Dr. Martens Spiderweb oxfords come in various colors and feature intricate spiderweb detailing on the toes. The footwear also includes coordinating lace-up closures, rubber soles and stacked block heels.
Supreme has collaborated with Dr. Martens multiple times, remixing many of the footwear brand’s most iconic silhouettes.
In collaboration with famed designer Yohji Yamamoto, Dr. Martens’ 1490 Hidden Zip boot features a mid-calf, lace-up silhouette with a concealed zipper at the lateral along with yellow welt stitching, milky white rubber soles, strap detailing at the ankles and silver hardware.
Dr. Martens is just one of several companies Yamamoto has collaborated with.
Offering another artistic spin to their footwear, Dr. Martens’ collaboration with The Met paid tribute to the enduring energy and inspiration of the work of Katsushika Hokusai. The collection included a pair of oxfords featuring Hokusai’s artwork from Gotenyama at Shinagawa on the Tokaido, from Hokusai’s ‘36 Views of Mount Fuji’ series. The footwear also features non-slip rubber soles, yellow welt stitching and coordinating cream-colored laces.
The Met collection with Dr. Martens also included a leather backpack and 1460 leather lace-up boots featuring artwork printed uppers pulled from artwork by Katsushika Hokusai, likely “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
In celebration of the film, Dr. Martens and the Japanese fashion brand Undercover created a multi-piece footwear collection. Inspired by Undercover’s creative director Jun Takahashi’s love of 70s films, the 1461 shoes were reinvented with checkerboard-printed uppers coming in “Cherry,” “Red,” and “Blue” colorways. The footwear also includes black lace-up closures, durable non-slip rubber soles and Dr. Martens’ iconic yellow welt stitching. Each pair was delivered in custom packaging to further play into the cinematic experience of the shoe.
Amina Ayoud is an Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where she writes stories about everything from celebrity style to breaking fashion and shoe releases. Ayoud cultivated a love of all things fashion early in life thanks to a deep love of fashion history and the luxury industry. In her free time, Ayoud is a self-proclaimed fashion nerd and thriftaholic.
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