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DR MARTENS FACTORY TOUR


Dr Martens factory in Northampton, England.

I’ve been obsessed with Dr Martens since I can remember, their iconic design appeals to multiple generations the world over and I always knew that if there was ever a factory I could visit in the UK, it would be theirs. This all started from the competition I posted on here a month ago, where my lucky winner Lucie won £500 worth of Dr Martens! Unfortunately she wan’t available to come up to Northampton with us on the day (we missed you!) but bloggers and winners made up our group to visit the place where the iconic boot was born.

I think the most fascinating part for me was to see the leather gradually turning into a 3D object as we went around the floor. The factory was divided into two halfs, one with rows of sewings machines to stitch the multiple leathers together, and the other with machines for buffing, melting, sticking, and moulding. The smell of leather and whirring machinery was thick in the air a we walked around the floor, being guided through each step of the making process. It was all just totally ingenious and awe inspiring for each individual machine to have it’s own job – my favourite was the flame blade; kept at a constant 700 degrees centigrade to melt the soles firmly onto the bottom of the shoes. Also if you can notice in the pictures, every employee at the factory has to wear a pair of brand new shoes or boots for a few weeks, to test their durability! Genius multi tasking! I had no idea that so much work went into one pair of boots and I think I’ll be looking at my DM collection a little differently in the future. I’d recommend checking out the Art of Industrial Manufacture video to see the factory in motion! 

A huge thank you to Amy from Dr Martens for organising the trip! 

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12 comments

  1. I love the look of the studded DMs, I’m seriously lusting after a pair at the moment, but I’m not sure which ones to go for!

  2. incredible images from the factory, these are by far some of the most detailed i’ve come across. I was going to enter the comp but ran out of time. geeeees what’s up with me! would go in a snap

  3. The pictures are amazing and so vibrant. Loved the flame blade, it was quite an attraction wasn’t it? Glad to hear you enjoyed the tour.

  4. i am so jealous! their factory looks awesome!

    http://www.styleandshades.blogspot.com

  5. OMG, you guys were so lucky to see all of this!!! Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures! xx

  6. all that burgundy leather is making me drool. Thanks for sharing your experience in such insightful way, it almost feels like I was there. DR Martens forever.

  7. This looks so fun! Love the silver ones…

    xo Camilla

    Into The Fold

  8. we wear ours religiously, so this is so cool to see! that bag at the end is perfect.

  9. That must have been so exciting to see, how cool!

  10. fascinating!
    I’d love to visit such factory

  11. Amazing photos, loved seeing behind the scenes at Dr Martens!

  12. This is such a gorgeous post Charlie. It’s so cool to see the boots develop from just a flat piece of leather! xx

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