Professor Andrew Groves, Professor on the Fashion Design BA Honours course, was interviewed in an article for The Guardian about the history of the Dr Martens boot.
Professor Groves said: “It’s almost easier to list which subcultures haven’t adopted Dr Martens over the past six decades. The list of those style tribes that took the DM to their hearts includes punks, skinheads, northern soulers, scooterists, as well as (later on) teenagers into grunge, two-tone, and Britpop. At their heart, all youth subcultures love nothing better than annoying their parents. What better way to do that than adopting the boots your dad wears for his respectable job and subverting them into the latest youth craze?”
He added: “[I wore them] when I was a mod, a skinhead and a casual … I’ve worn them polished up with Sta-Prest trousers and scuffed-up with jeans. I’ve probably got at least three or four pairs at the moment.”
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