Isham 'Parchment Desert'

Dr. Martens’ origins date to 1945, when Dr. Klaus Maertens, a 25-year-old soldier and medical doctor at the time, created a unique air-cushioned sole (rather than the traditional hard leather sole) to aid his recovery from a broken foot. Dr. Maertens made a prototype shoe and showed it to a friend and engineer, Dr. Herbert Funk. The two went into partnership and by 1947 they began formal production of their unique shoe. Within a decade they had a booming business. By 1952, sales had significantly grown so much that they opened a factory in Munich.