Why Doc Martens Are So Expensive | So Expensive

when Doc Martens first appeared in the UK in 1960 they were working boots that would cost you under $3 a pair these days a pair of made in England boots could set you back 225 dollars so what has changed and why these shoes now so expensive Doc Martens are a style icon that has endured for over 50 years they've been worn by everyone from Kanye West and cardi B to the Dalai Lama and even Pope John Paul the second when the Vatican placed an order for the famous eight eyelet boot in black white and navy leather while a pair of docs may not be the most expensive boot out there their price and use has gone through a pretty radical transformation and the company producing them has shifted dramatically to from a family-owned local Factory to an international fashion brand and by a private equity firm since 2014 the price of boots has risen by almost 25 percent sales of grant year-on-year and profits were up 70 percent in 2018 to 19 so how did the company go from its humble beginnings to producing seven million pairs of these shoes each year before they got their Punk Image Doc Martens weren't quite so cool the patented technology behind the boots the air-cushion sole was invented in 1945 by dr.

Klaus Martens a German army doctor who injured his ankle in a skiing accident and was looking for a comfortable alternative to hard leather sole boots the market for this new shoe technology wasn't the Punk's or skinheads you might associate with the history of these shoes but older women in need of comfortable and practical footwear they were even advertised as perfect gardening shoes at one point it was when this technology was brought over to the UK in 1960 that the iconic shoe you might recognise was first made the air-cushion sole was licensed to the Greeks company in North Hampton and the 1460 boot was created the iconic stitching and recognizable heel loop were added and the boots were sold to factory workers across England at the time these boots cost only three dollars a pair even with inflation that's just over fifty dollars they were cheap hard wearing and perfect for postman policemen and workers on their feet all day the boot was quickly adopted by any counter cultural movement that appeared and they became a mainstay in glam punk skinhead ska and goth style among many others Doc Martens fashion status wasn't always guaranteed though after the boom in the 90s the boots dipped out of fashion and the company struggled almost going bust in the early 2000s as the industry shrank the cost of manufacturing shoes in England also got more expensive and by 2002 it already cost around 87 dollars for a pair of Doc Martens that's around a hundred and forty dollars with inflation Northamptonshire was once the home of shoe making in England in the mid 19th century there were over 2,000 shoe makers working in the region but as many of these shoemaker struggled the majority went under or moved production abroad and now there were just over 30 left Doc Martens followed suit moving their production to Asia the company still makes shoes in its Northamptonshire factory but now this is only around 2% of its total production Doc Martin says this relocation hasn't changed the way its shoes are made at all we wanted to see if there actually was a difference between the new Asian made boots the more expensive made in England variety or a vintage pair from before the move we spoke to someone who's torn down multiple pairs of these shoes to find out I'm Wes UK I'm a professional leather worker and I cut boots issues in half on YouTube now I would say the production methods are really similar between the Asian made boots and the maiden England boots they a lot of the same features on the inside of how they stitch their boots are identical the construction is really similar they still heat so the sole to the welt I think a lot of the big differences between the vintage boots and the newer ones it's it's stuff that you would only notice if you cut it in half almost or if you warm for long enough time the vintage Doc Martens had a way better midsole that has a lot of comfort they had a wooden shank and the leather was just a lot better so they lasted longer they're more comfortable they have the support you need the newer ones just have worst versions of the old ones materials I wouldn't describe them as a super durable or long lasting boot but a lot of people are just buying these boots because of Doc Martens anyway and they're going to be comfortable they're gonna last a decently long time so most people are gonna be happy with them we contacted Doc Martens about these comments and a spokesperson told us we have not altered any materials or manufacturing processes that would jeopardize the quality of our products and wear specification changes have occurred they've been made to enhance our iconic products and to ensure we improve the wearer's experience we removed the shank in 2000 after realizing it did not improve the structural integrity of our boots in 2005 our internal fellow has changed from felt to a better quality material the 90s boot being referenced along with our current made in England range have a leather thickness of 1.8 millimeters whereas our main range has a thickness of 1.6 regardless of the materials Doc Martens style has insured and since 2002 the brand's popularity has skyrocketed the countercultural image that made it so famous is something that has stuck to this Demi despite the expansion from small-town British made boots to international icon and for fans of the boot this can be an obsession over the years the company is evolved from producing one boot in 1960 to producing around 250 styles each year and as its popularity has grown so is the competition over recent years Doc Martens has filed lawsuits against Urban Outfitters fans boohoo and others in an attempt to protect his iconic boot design in 2014 the company was sold by the family and bought by private equity firm Permira since this takeover the price of boots has risen by almost 25% and profits were up 70% in 2018 to 19 in large part due to the newfound success of their vegan range and while the boots of transition from an English workers boot into a global fashion icon their style is injured and their devoted fan following isn't going anywhere [Music]

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