Chloë Sevigny has always followed her feet, wherever they want to go. “I love being pulled off course. Like when the wind pulls my skirt and I suddenly feel drawn toward something. It’s like being reeled in from afar.” It’s a mysterious force. “I don’t know how it works. But all the best things in life happen that way.”
It has attracted her to magnetic spaces. Standout appearances in Kids, American Psycho and Big Love. Cult magazine covers. Decadent runways. The 8065 Mary Jane shoes are her chosen Doc’s—they’re just as much of a subterranean icon.
On the surface, Bill Griggs is her polar opposite. He wasn’t an original it-girl, a New York local legend or an Academy Award-nominated actor. He was a third-generation shoe designer in Wollaston, a cottage industry town in Northamptonshire. But he lived by the same ethos. On April 1, 1960, he changed the trajectory of Dr. Martens forever with three words, scribed on the AirWair heel loop of his new boots: “With Bouncing Soles.”
A material promise. The 1460 boot was, from the day it's named after, built on a groundbreaking air-cushioned sole. This trademark bounce is the foundation for all Doc's. But it said so much more. The soles of the shoes bounced, but so did the soles within them. They still do. Every pair of Doc's has always had a life of its own—the person wearing them.
WORDS ARE MAGIC. THAT'S WHY WE CALL IT SPELLING.
Jordan Stephens, like Griggs, appreciates the power of phrases. “The thing I find most exciting about words is the fact that you can say a sentence or create an image in another person's mind that can shift or change the angle of their lives,” he says.
He rose to fame in the late 2000s as one half of Rizzle Kicks, landing eight hit singles and later carving out his own solo career, before pivoting into writing with a celebrated memoir (Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak & Dogs) and two children’s books. His go-to Doc’s? The 1461 Shoe—our first Shoe, made for those who understand the magic of the classics.
He’s also penned spoken word poetry. Bluntness, he thinks, can be as beautiful as florid language. “It’s great if it’s [said in] a poetic way, but sometimes it's just straight to the point.” Words, like soles, bounce. And when they reverberate, they have the power to resonate.
Language has also left an imprint on the imagination of Naomi Watanabe. The Japanese comedian made a name for herself through imitation—she became a star in Japan for impersonating Beyoncé. But she soon went her own way, designing her own plus-size clothing label, Punyus, acting in musicals including Hairspray and becoming a fixture on the fashion world’s front row.
She remembers a mentor saying that she had performed one miracle by coming from a rural town and becoming a top comic performer in Japan. Her second miracle would be breaking America, where she moved to in 2021. “I’m keeping those words close to my heart and challenging myself every day,” she says.
But listening to herself, rather than others, is sometimes the way forward. “If I focus too much on the outside, I lose sight of my true self, and if my center wavers, I can’t create anything interesting, so I prioritize my own life.” Laughter, as well as language, is just as life-affirming.
DOING STAND-UP MAKES ME SO NERVOUS. UNTIL SOMEONE LAUGHS. AND I THINK…OK, WE'RE TOGETHER NOW.
This desire to find common ground makes the 1460 boot her companion. An original, like her.
Chloë, Jordan and Naomi are not obvious soulmates. But they all share the same gift—they're buoyed by finding romance in the everyday and converting it to inspiration. For Chloë, that means stumbling across a dream vintage garment or listening to the beat of the city. For Naomi, it's about the glow of late-night comedy TV or calling up loved ones in the bath. For Jordan, it's getting lost in the dancefloor or being transfixed by surfers catching the perfect wave.
Their spirits also match our Crazy Horse, the leather they all wear. The leather is “hot stuffed” with oil and waxes to give it a distinctive patina that develops over the years. No version is ever the same.
Like wearing Crazy Horse, it’s taken time for Chloë, Jordan and Naomi to uncover every layer of themselves. Sometimes, that means moving to a new place, or changing creative practice, or bouncing back from adversity. In other cases, it’s about letting the wind take you and seeing where you end up. As long as you trust your feet, there’s nothing to be afraid of. No matter how high you bounce, you’ll always return to ground level—ready to go again.
