MADE IN ENGLAND
Our Northamptonshire factory is the home of the first ever DM’s boot. Over 6 decades later, the same production line continues to push us forward: combining timeless, enduring handcraftsmanship with cutting-edge techniques, materials and designs. Each season we produce reworked and refitted versions of our classic silhouettes, and we never stop building our collection of Vintage boots and shoes: handmade the same way for over 60 years.
MADE IN ENGLAND
Our Northamptonshire factory is the home of the first ever DM’s boot. Over 6 decades later, the same production line continues to push us forward: combining timeless, enduring handcraftsmanship with cutting-edge techniques, materials and designs. Each season we produce reworked and refitted versions of our classic silhouettes, and we never stop building our collection of Vintage boots and shoes: handmade the same way for over 60 years.
BACKSTAGE AT THE FACTORY
We spent the day with our team in Wollaston to learn more about how the Dr. Martens 1460 boot is built. The factory floor in Wollaston is divided into 4 rooms: each performs a crucial part of the boot and shoe-making process and is run by our team of meticulous experts.
THE CLICKING ROOM
In the Clicking Room, leather is inspected for imperfections and cut with razor-sharp cookie cutters and hydraulic presses. Each 1460 boot requires 7 sections of leather to form the upper, including the quarters, back strap, tongue and vamp. In other words: everything above the sole.
A machine with a powerful rotating blade thins the leather to prepare it for stitching in a process known as skiving. This is also where the leather is embossed with logos and other identifying features using hot metal and gold foil.
"IT’S LOUD. IT’S MESSY. IT’S DANGEROUS. IT REALLY ENTICED ME"
HEAR FROM GEMMA ATKINS, DM’s FOOTWEAR LASTING OPERATIVE
THE CLOSING ROOM
In the Closing Room, the leather pieces are stitched together on a series of sewing machines — each with a unique function. The further down the line the boot travels, the more complex each device becomes. The most important of all these is the Puritan machine. With a needle movement patented in the 1890s, this triple stitch gives our 1460 boot its renowned resilience and durability.
With the sections stitched together, the boot is punched with eyelets, and the toe puff is added using a hot press. Things start to take shape in the Lasting Room, where the leather is pulled tight around the last and begins to form the shape of our unmistakable 1460 boot.
THE SHOE ROOM
The final part of the process happens in the Shoe Room: the boots and shoes are inspected, cleaned, laced, fitted with socks and tags and boxed — ready to be broken in.
THE LASTING ROOM
Once the boot is moulded around the last, the process becomes uniquely DM’s. The excess leather is removed, and the upper is stitched to a PVC welt with our instantly recognisable DM’s yellow thread. The wax-coated nylon thread is punched through the welt, the leather and the insole.
The PVC soles are moulded and partially fixed to the boot — then melted using red-hot blades and pressurised rollers and squeezed together by hand. As the blade burns its way between the PVC welt and the sole, the two are fused together, forming one piece of PVC and trapping a cushion of air inside to form our famous bouncing sole. The edges are trimmed for uniformity and to maintain our trademark grooved edges.
"A YELLOW THREAD ALL THE WAY BACK TO DAY ONE"
STEVE BENT, DM’s FACTORY MANAGER
BACKSTAGE AT THE FACTORY
We spent the day with our team in Wollaston to learn more about how the Dr. Martens 1460 boot is built. The factory floor in Wollaston is divided into 4 rooms: each performs a crucial part of the boot and shoe-making process and is run by our team of meticulous experts.
THE CLICKING ROOM
In the Clicking Room, leather is inspected for imperfections and cut with razor-sharp cookie cutters and hydraulic presses. Each 1460 boot requires 7 sections of leather to form the upper, including the quarters, back strap, tongue and vamp. In other words: everything above the sole.
A machine with a powerful rotating blade thins the leather to prepare it for stitching in a process known as skiving. This is also where the leather is embossed with logos and other identifying features using hot metal and gold foil.
"IT’S LOUD.
IT’S MESSY.
IT’S DANGEROUS.
IT REALLY ENTICED ME"
HEAR FROM GEMMA ATKINS, DM’s FOOTWEAR LASTING OPERATIVE
THE CLOSING ROOM
In the Closing Room, the leather pieces are stitched together on a series of sewing machines — each with a unique function. The further down the line the boot travels, the more complex each device becomes. The most important of all these is the Puritan machine. With a needle movement patented in the 1890s, this triple stitch gives our 1460 boot its renowned resilience and durability.
With the sections stitched together, the boot is punched with eyelets, and the toe puff is added using a hot press. Things start to take shape in the Lasting Room, where the leather is pulled tight around the last and begins to form the shape of our unmistakable 1460 boot.
THE LASTING ROOM
Once the boot is moulded around the last, the process becomes uniquely DM’s. The excess leather is removed, and the upper is stitched to a PVC welt with our instantly recognisable DM’s yellow thread. The wax-coated nylon thread is punched through the welt, the leather and the insole.
The PVC soles are moulded and partially fixed to the boot — then melted using red-hot blades and pressurised rollers and squeezed together by hand. As the blade burns its way between the PVC welt and the sole, the two are fused together, forming one piece of PVC and trapping a cushion of air inside to form our famous bouncing sole. The edges are trimmed for uniformity and to maintain our trademark grooved edges.
THE SHOE ROOM
The final part of the process happens in the Shoe Room: the boots and shoes are inspected, cleaned, laced, fitted with socks and tags and boxed — ready to be broken in.
"A YELLOW THREAD ALL THE WAY BACK TO DAY ONE"
STEVE BENT, DM’s FACTORY MANAGER
MORE MADE IN ENGLAND
DEADSTOCK — NEW LIFE
Our Deadstock range is an ongoing collection that combines leathers from a range of seasonal stock and world-renowned tanneries. Refreshed every season with premium materials and expert Northamptonshire handcraftsmanship.
SEALED WITH A STORY
Sarah and Gemma joined DM’s as apprentices in Northamptonshire. Now they thrive in our original factory's most challenging and dangerous roles: heat sealing and edge trimming our renowned bouncing soles.
HANDCRAFTING: A UNIVERSAL CONNECTOR
To celebrate our factory and the enduring value of handcraft, we spoke to ceramics artist Bisila Noha. She talks about her journey, and her innately human connection to handcraftsmanship.
Broken in once. Worn for a lifetime
Our makers bring their experience and individuality to the boots and shoes they craft. What happens next is defined by you. Festivals. Marches. Each scuff tells a story. Find out how our wearers are leaving their mark.
HANDCRAFTING: A LINK TO PERSONAL HERITAGE
Our celebration of handcraftsmanship continues with a conversation with artist Mark Corfield-Moore. He explains how he celebrates his family heritage with traditional techniques.
MORE MADE IN ENGLAND
DEADSTOCK — NEW LIFE
Our Deadstock range is an ongoing collection that combines leathers from a range of seasonal stock and world-renowned tanneries. Refreshed every season with premium materials and expert Northamptonshire handcraftsmanship.
SEALED WITH A STORY
Sarah and Gemma joined DM’s as apprentices in Northamptonshire. Now they thrive in our original factory's most challenging and dangerous roles: heat sealing and edge trimming our renowned bouncing soles.
HANDCRAFTING: A UNIVERSAL CONNECTOR
To celebrate our factory and the enduring value of handcraft, we spoke to ceramics artist Bisila Noha. She talks about her journey, and her innately human connection to handcraftsmanship.
BROKEN IN ONCE. WORN FOR A LIFETIME
Our makers bring their experience and individuality to the boots and shoes they craft. What happens next is defined by you. Festivals. Marches. Each scuff tells a story. Find out how our wearers are leaving their mark.
HANDCRAFTING: A LINK TO PERSONAL HERITAGE
Our celebration of handcraftsmanship continues with a conversation with artist Mark Corfield-Moore. He explains how he celebrates his family heritage with traditional techniques.