dr. martens doc martens
[photo via UnSplash]

Dr. Martens contest calls for fans to dream up perfect custom shoe

Dr. Martens fans are getting the opportunity of a lifetime with the shoe brand’s latest online competition.

On Saturday, Dr. Martens posted a photo of some custom Rebecca Vincent boots and explained the new contest to followers.

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Recognise these Docs? Rebecca Vincent showed us how to create DIY DOCS and now we’re giving them away, with a set of pens to work on your own designs,” the post reads. “Here’s how to enter: like this post and let us know which Docs you’d like to customise in the comments.”

You can read the full terms and conditions for the competition here.

Many fans in the comments had plenty of ideas about their dream shoes, so it’ll be interesting to see who wins the prize.

Other Dr. Martens news

Earlier this year, Legendary British shoe company Dr. Martens unveiled their product line in collaboration with British punk icons, the Sex Pistols. In addition to the boot brand’s legendary styles, the collaboration extends to include slip-ons, shirts and other related accessories.

Darren McKoy, the global category director of footwear and accessories for the brand, tells AP the collaboration between the legendary punk band and his company had been in the works for a while in order to address both the various aesthetic design and manufacturing issues.

“We were definitely aided by the direct connection between what the band stand for and the reason our consumers purchase our products,” he says. “The music, the attitude of the band and the distinct imagery featured on their only studio album all worked in our favor and made for a perfect fit.”

In addition to DM’s legendary AirWair line festooned with images of the band and artist Jamie Reid’s unforgettable ransom-note logo design, there are slip-ons with the damaged tour-bus imagery, a shirt and a satchel-style messenger bag. McKoy says the company’s internal design and product teams worked closely with the band and their management regarding the items and their attendant imagery.

“The inspiration—from the album artwork and the band itself—was there. We just needed them to figure out how to make it all work on the line of product we were creating,” he says. “That being said, we don’t create anything that doesn’t properly represent or align with our collaboration partners. We worked really closely with the band and management to ensure that both parties were happy with the finished product.”

The success of last year’s DM collaboration with the members of New Order/Joy Division was appreciated by old-school, first-gen punks wanting to make the statement that their personal mindsets are better defined by punk bands and not, say, Imagine Dragons or Rascal Flatts. Likewise, younger generations were attracted to them as artifacts of both aesthetic beauty and practical utility. This collaboration looks poised to reinforce those mindsets.

“We have a broad range of consumers that buy and wear our product to express their own individual style,” McKoy says. “When we partner with other brands—or bands in this case—it gives us an opportunity to connect with their fans and introduce them to our brand. And once they put those boots on and experience what generations of Dr. Martens wearers have been experiencing for decades, they’re hooked: And more importantly, they’re one of us.”

You can see the DM/Pistols product line here.

What do you think of the latest Dr. Marten contest? Sound off in the comments below!

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