The 1460 Boot | Our Icons | Dr. Martens

THE ORIGINAL. 1ST APRIL 1960 WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE BACKSTORY. THE 1460 BOOT WAS BUILT FOR COMFORT. A COMPANION FOR MINERS, MEDICS & POSTIES BECAME A BOOT FOR ALL. A COMMON GROUND.

Staple and statement in equal measure, the 1460 is where each Doc’s signature began. 8 holes. Puritan stitch. Puffed toes. Handwritten script on heel loop. A yellow thread on Good year welt. The original DMS sole is heat-sealed, groove-edged and air-cushioned to put bounce in your step. The Smooth Leather upper slowly shapes to your feet.

HEAT SEALING
The use of plastics in shoe-making was rare in the 1950s. But Drs Funck and Maertens innovated and landed on a PVC welt that was stitched to the upper of each boot. Then, Funck masterminded a machine that inserted a hot knife between two layers of sole. Pressure applied; the sole was fused to the welt. Still used to this day. Sole and welt, heat-sealed in perpetuity.
HISTORY
Dr. Maertens and Dr. Funck collaborated in post-war Germany to create a groundbreaking air-cushioned sole. In the late 1950s Bill Griggs took this innovative tech sole and added an upper that was grounded in the needs of hard-working Brits. On 1st April 1960 a future design classic rolled off the production line.
DESIGN
The Dr. Martens design language started with the 1460 boot. Built on an air-cushioned sole with a two-tone grooved sole edge, a diagonal heel angle and 5/3 cleat pattern. Bill Griggs chose to use the signature yellow thread. His handwriting – “with bouncing soles” - features on every heel loop. A distinctive three-line Puritan stitch attaches the quarter to the vamp. All aspects interact to create a silhouette that is more than the sum of its design cues.