Dr. Martens - 1919 Cherry Red Steel Toe.

DM 1919 cherry red with 10 eyelets and steel toe which was bought from one of their nice looking boutiques in Sunway Pyramid. Without the iconic yellow stitching though. Made in China. Leather is softer and supple compare to the "Quilon" leather use for their Made in England line. The latter is like my 90s pair of black 8 eyelets 1460, very tough to break in and akin to wearing cardboard. Get a thick socks with it or be prepared to submit my feet to weeks and months of torturous ordeal. I am impartial to where a product is made so long as the brand of said product doesn't compromise quality in tandem with their asking price. Currently DM doesn't produce any 1919 models for their MIE line. Still this MIC boots is alright, readily to be worn and comfortable. Afterall it is still Goodyear welted, with air cushioned soles. The laces are the same as the 90s pair, if I were to recall correctly and from what I observed, the MIE line. That means it is still not "up there" with, say, Red Wing boots' laces. Oh, by the way, can't compare the two brands, just like apples and oranges. To each its own merit but of course, Red Wing boots are still way above in terms of leather quality, construction and "vintage creds" with longer history but strictly my own personal opinion. And something about the sole which is different from what I could recall from memory. It seems more transparent on this one. The inlay soles also seem different.

Re-owning a DM brings back good memories of the "third" resurgence of the brand i.e. "alt-movement/grunge genre" of the early to mid 90s as part of the split over effect into fashion. DM stores sprouted up everywhere. Strictly made in England only, I remembered the British boots doesn't cost an arm and leg like now. Of course there are copycat brands and pirated version (the latest victim being Red Wing which sucks) but none come close to the original. Unfortunately, DM went down in flames hand in hand with the demise of alt/grunge scene by early 2000s. The brand was also being ridiculed on "hipsters" forum such as Superfuture then, shutting out the counter-cultural impact it made, either in positive or negative light, particularly amongst Britain skinhead movements as well as around the subcultures of the world. It also suffered a brief notoriety for an advertisement in '07 featuring the late artists Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone and Joe Strummer wearing DMs high up on the clouds upon the ninth heaven literally with the objective of delivering the message that DM lasted forever, which unfortunately, is not true (the sole tends to wear out). Saatchi and Saatchi subsequently lost DM as their account. Which is a dumb mistake for an advert agency as they probably didn't do enough research into the history of DM as well as lacking subtleties and respect. The choice of subjects are the most questionable. Cobain in particular, is never seen with a pair of DM. He was seen usually rocking a Converse All Stars or Jack Purcell unlike, say, members of Alice in Chains or Pearl Jam. And he's strictly anti-commercialism. Joe Strummer can be seen wearing DM until changing to motorcycle boots but again, these punk rockers are strictly against any form of commercialism. Joey Ramone was also usually seen wearing sneakers. And Sid Vicious? Dude, let's not even get there. Bummer. In summary, DM is one of punk movements choice of sole due to the fact that it started out as a working class boots and affordable in its heydays. The same principle applied to the early 90s alt/grunge scene, as an alternative substitute to army surplus combat boots.

DM quietly and successfully regains its foothold back in the industry as early as 2004. Back then, I have quietly noticed individuals rocking a pairs. And from then on, it steadily grown once more. And there are now two lines, one the standard Made in China, Thailand or Vietnam, and the other more "premium", exclusive Made in England with "Vintage" moniker attached to it. But it now costs more than ever, unfortunately. Yet, DM, in my personal opinion, is enjoying its "fourth resurgence" in popularity (late 60s, early 80s, early 90s). As for me, I just want to keep a pair as nostalgic memory from the 90s.