Factory work boots and a cushioned sole developed by a medical doctor recuperating from a broken foot seem like an incredibly unlikely starting point for footwear that would become a staple of cutting edge youth culture. But why would a shoe synonymous with individualistic style have a story about doing things the usual way?

After their adoption by the original ska and reggae loving skinheads in 1960s England unlocked the fashion potential of these humble work boots, the genie was well and truly out of the bottle. The genre hopping history of Doc Martens has taken the iconic bouncing soles from Slade to the Specials to Sham 69 to Specimen to the Smiths to Skinny Puppy to Soundgarden, and that’s just the ‘S’ section. It doesn’t really matter what your preferred brand of noise is, the timeless style and unshakable durability of Doc Martens are forever in style.