Dr. Martens 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot
- This fabulous 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot laces all the way to the knee with a time saving side zipper for easy access.
- The 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot rocks a high top combat boot silhouette with 20-eyelet lace closure, full side zipper for easy on and off, soft leather uppers, and signature air-cushioned outsole for premium comfort.
- This edgy style is built on the original Dr. Martens 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot, which comfort lasts with the air cushioned sole you have come to know and love.
- It takes 20 eyes to contain the attitude of this legendary 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot, known for its welted construction, yellow stitching and semi-bright look.
Use the Wonder Balsam to keep your 1B60 Black Virginia 20-Eye Boot clean, protect the leather, and keep it soft and supple.
Dr. Martens History
Starting in 1901, the small company began in Wollaston, Northamptonshire in the English Midlands. They were at the location of the epicenter of the English shoe industry and for six decades the footwear earned a solid reputation as sturdy, durable work boots.
In 1945, a 25-year-old soldier, while trying to heal from a broken foot, created a unique air-cushioned sole, opposed from traditional rough leather sole, to aid his recovery. Using a salvaged cobbler’s last and a needle, he made a prototype shoe and revealed it to an old university friend and mechanical engineer.
Both then became business partners by using disused military supplies and began producing shoes with unique soles. By 1947 they began formal production and within a decade they had a great going business, despite selling to older women. In 1959, they decided it was time to advertise their revolutionary footwear invention in magazines.
While he was scanning the pages of a shoe trade magazine, his eye was caught by the manufacture advertisement for their revolutionary air- cushioned sole.
Several different licenses were acquired and a few changes were made, including an altered heel, a bulbous but simple upper, a distinctive yellow welt stitch, a two tone grooved sole edge and a unique sole pattern. The new boots were now branded as ‘Airwair’ and came distinctly with a black and yellow heel loop representing the brand name and the slogan “With Bouncing Soles” which was printed based on the manufacturer's own handwriting. With its name being created off the date they were first created, April 1st, 1960, the eight-eyed 1460 Dr. Martens boot had mad its first arrival.
Without any insight as to why or how, Dr. Martens were suddenly picked up by early multi-cultural, ska-loving skinheads – who proudly championed British working class style. Shortly after, Pete Townshend of The Who became the first high profile individual to wear Dr. Martens as a symbol of his own working class vehemence and attitude. Doing so enabled first generation skinheads and Townshend to alter the course of the brand’s history, which in turn changed the classic work-wear boot into a subcultural essential.
Constant sales of smaller men’s size boots also induced Dr. Martens to create a street trend for girls, who would buy then customize with florals, the simple 8-hole boot. Meanwhile, US Hardcore musicians touring the UK began to take pairs of DM’s back to the west coast, thus starting American subculture’s adoption of the brand.
Without music, Dr Martens would have remained a workwear boot. The music of tribes who wear Dr. Martens has become inseparable from the brand itself.
