Fashion career profile

Klaus Märtens

Klaus Märtens was a German doctor and the inventor associated with the air-cushioned sole that became the basis of Dr. Martens footwear. Recovering from a foot injury after the Second World War, he developed a softer sole and worked with university friend Herbert Funck to manufacture and sell the concept in Germany. The British R. Griggs Group later licensed the technology, adapted the boot's construction and launched the eight-eye 1460 on 1 April 1960. Märtens is therefore represented as the originating product inventor, while Funck's partnership and the Griggs family's British brand development remain explicit rather than collapsed into a single-founder myth.

Role
Air-Cushioned Sole Inventor
Nationality
German
Age at death
86
Career appointments
1
Fashion houses
1