All Dr. Martens footwear features the company's trademark air-cushion sole design, a key ingredient in the exceptional comfort they offer. The widespread love of DMs traces back to 1960, when the Griggs family of British shoemakers teamed up with a German inventor named Dr. Maertens, inventor of the air-cushion sole. Soon British working men were wearing the model 1460, and its popularity rapidly spread to make Docs the footwear of choice for disaffected youths in Britain and around the world, especially in the music scene. Once fans saw the shoes being worn by their favorite bands, they needed a pair, too. Martens footwear features the company's trademark air-cushion sole design, a key ingredient in the exceptional comfort they offer. The widespread love of DMs traces back to 1960, when the Griggs family of British shoemakers teamed up with a German inventor named Dr. Maertens, inventor of the air-cushion sole. Soon British working men were wearing the model 1460, and its popularity rapidly spread to make Docs the footwear of choice for disaffected youths in Britain and around the world, especially in the music scene. Once fans saw the shoes being worn by their favorite bands, they needed a pair, too.