Onlineshoes.com and Dr. Martens Team Up for 50th Anniversary Celebration

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) October 19, 2010

‘Doctor Martens,’ ‘Doc Martens,’ or simply ‘Docs,’ the original 1460 8-eye lace-up boot is recognized the world around as the style that launched a global phenomenon. Founded in 1996, Onlineshoes.com was the first company to sell shoes online, and Dr. Martens has been one of the company’s most popular brands since 2001. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this legendary brand and their ninth year as an Onlineshoes.com partner, Onlineshoes.com and Dr. Martens are giving away two pairs of Dr. Martens 1460 boots to two lucky winners: Simply visit the Dr. Martens giveaway on the Get in Gear blog between October 19 and October 25 to enter.

Following a foot injury suffered while skiing in the Alps in 1945, a German medical doctor, Klaus Maertens, came up with the idea of inventing a soft leather shoe with an air-cushioned sole, a product he developed with an engineering friend, Dr. Herbert Funck. Their comfortable styles were immediately popular with middle-aged housewives looking for relief from foot pain. By the late 1950s, Maertens and Funck decided it was time to expand into other markets, which is how English footwear manufacturer R. Griggs & Co. acquired the global rights to the revolutionary air-cushioned sole. Then chairman Bill Griggs trademarked the soles as AirWair, implemented the signature yellow-stitch welt and anglicized the name to ‘Martens,’ and the Dr. Martens company was off and running.

Dr Martens’ inaugural release is reflected in the name of the Dr Martens 1460 boot: The numbers 1 and 4 stand for the first of April, while the 60 designates the year 1960. Early fans of the Dr. Martens Original 1460 boot included mailmen, policemen and factory workershard-working individuals whose jobs required them to spend a lot of time on their feet. (Nowadays, Dr. Martens industrial footwear takes on-the-job safety even more seriously, offering boots and shoes with features such as protective steel toes, slip-, puncture- and heat-resistance, electrical hazard protection and more.)

The 1460 Dr Martens boot is also a mainstay of such youth subculture movements as Mods, Skinheads, Punks, Ska, Psychobilly, Goth and Grungenot to mention gracing the feet of such memorable superstars of music and screens both large and small, including Miley Cyrus, Robert Pattinson, Adam Lambert, Gwen Stefani, Chris Brown, Emma Watson, Lady Gaga and countless others.

To this day, the 1460 remains the most popular men’s Dr. Martens style, but it is also offered in fun colors and patterns designed to appeal to women, such as the 1460 W 8 Eye Flower Boot.

“Dr Martens 1460 boots look as great now as they did fifty years ago, and they’ll look just as fresh and timeless in the year 2060. As our customers can attest, pretty much anybody at any age can rock a pair of 1460s,” says Onlineshoes.com buyer David Waarvick.

About the Contest:

To celebrate this momentous 50th anniversary, Onlineshoes.com will be giving away two pairs of women’s or men’s Dr. Martens 1460 boots. Simply visit the Onlineshoes.com blog Get in Gear contest to answer the question, What musical act would you most like to see perform live when wearing your own pair of iconic Dr. Martens 1460 boots? (200 words max). Entries will be accepted from October 19, 2010, through October 25, 2010; two winners will receive a free pair of Dr. Martens 1460 boots in the size, finish and color of their choice. See the complete contest rules and regulations.

Check out the full range of 1460 Dr. Martens at Onlineshoes.com, pick a favorite style and color, and crank the tunes as inspiration before entering the contest.

About Onlineshoes.com:

Established in 1996, Onlineshoes.com is the nation’s first online shoe retailer. With a history that began decades ago in a family-owned corner shoe store, the company is committed to delivering exceptional value and service. Onlineshoes.com offers the latest high-quality footwear for men, women and kids with more than 240,000 shoe and clothing choices from more than 250 name brands, as well as a wide selection of bags and accessories. Customers are entitled to a 110-percent price guarantee, a 365-day return policy, and free shipping and exchanges on most orders. For more information, visit http://www.onlineshoes.com.

###