Dr. Martens Forays Into Upcycled, Repair, and Renewal
by Zibby T.W.
The 8065 Black Smooth Dari shoes now part of Dr. Martens’ Rewair collection
This is a sponsored post.
When I was 18, I saved up the extra money from my college work study job, pooled it together, and bought myself my first pair of Docs. On trend with the 2015s, I needed, dreamed of, and drooled over Dr. Martens Chelsea boots, and as a vegan, I was overjoyed to find the popular style in vegan leather. Eight years later, the shoes are still in pristine condition. My collection of Docs has grown to include new styles—not all vegan, but all intentionally thrifted. I, like many other sustainable baddies, have gone to resale sites to purchase Dr. Martens shoes sustainably. The company began seeing this very trend from their consumers on a mass scale: a desire to be more intentional, to practice sustainability, and to invest in quality footwear that lasts. Motivated by these consumers and an internal desire to be more climate conscious, Dr. Martens has launched two new sustainability initiatives: a new line made from reclaimed leather and their own platform for certified refurbished Dr. Martens shoes. For all of my sustainable Dr. Martens faithfuls, here’s the inside scoop.
After weeks of coordinating our busy schedules, I sat down for a video chat with UK-based Tuze Mekik, Dr. Martens’ Director of Sustainability. Mekik introduced me to Genix Napa and ReWair. During our conversation, Mekik provided insight into the internal discussions that sparked these initiatives and their overall impact so far. But throughout, I noticed how heavily Dr. Martens story of sustainability was rooted in the history and legacy of their 60-year-old shoes. When Mekik and her team sat down to look at what initiatives were needed to lower the company’s carbon emissions, there were two clear demands: reparability and alternative materials.
Tuze Mekik, Director of Sustainability at Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens are famously durable. Durability is itself sustainable, encouraging long-lasting products that can endure the wear and tear of a life well-lived. The sustainability team was heavily concerned with discovering how to lengthen the life of these already long-lasting shoes. The brand knew that the demand for thrifted shoes was already there. But instead of just selling used shoes, the team started to wonder, “Can we actually repair these products?” This question inspired the two secondhand initiatives of Dr. Martens: ReWair in the US, and Dr. Martens ReSouled Depop UK in the UK. Both are programs intended for those who want to have a secondhand option, but by developing their own repair system, Dr. Martens is able to ensure the signature quality of their boots, and offer the best quality repairs from experts who know how each pair is made. Through the repair and reselling initiatives, Mekik explained that DM’s “could do it in our own way and tell the story [of the shoes] and that really excited everybody.”
After the launch of Dr. Martens x Depop in the UK, the idea of repair and resell immediately caught traction. The success of Depop inspired the creation of ReWair as the official US platform. Ultimately, the ReWair and Depop programs are successful business strategies for the brand, but the spirit is still rooted in sustainability. The initiative offers, “a business model of generating revenue through the value from a resale re-commerce opportunity.” They can produce and grow as a business while also maintaining a commitment to minimizing carbon emissions and offering alternative options to their sustainability concerned consumer base.
But resale wasn’t their only goal. Materials have a huge impact on the carbon emissions of the brand. Whether vegan or just trying to limit the amount of animal products that are consumed, finding alternatives to leather is a popular movement among many sustainable baddies. According to Mekik, “Leather is super important for Dr. Martens. 90% of the shoes that our brand makes are made of leather.” Leather has always been and, likely, will always be the brand’s preferred material because it’s durable and ages well. The leather they use to make their shoes is a byproduct of the food industry, offering some kind of recycling/cyclical nature to the product. However, the meat industry in particular is notorious for its high carbon emissions, so sourcing an even more sustainable leather was a must in Dr. Martens sustainability framework. Their commitment to leather products led to the creation of Genix Nappa, a “better leather,” launched about eight months ago. Genix Nappa is a material made by Gen Phoenix, a material waste renewal company that uses hydro-entanglement to bond leather waste (from tanneries) to produce a new leather product that’s just as durable and long lasting as traditional leather.
When asked what inspired or pushed the sustainability agenda, Mekik reminded me that the consumer base purchasing Dr. Martens shoes is also at the heart of the company’s workforce. “Consumers, employees, we are all the same. We are all working here because we love Dr. Martens, we love the product. And everyone wants a piece of [it]. We want to work on something like this.” Both of these new initiatives and the success that they are experiencing is proof that sustainability can often help a company or brand’s growth. Through ReWair and Genix Nappa, Dr. Martens is uncovering ways to maintain commitment to their brand values and legacy, create revenue growth, and prioritize the planet. It’s a lesson we can all learn, that taking a risk on sustainability could inspire and invigorate a consumer and employee base to care more, invest more, and ultimately be more conscious about our collective impact on our environment.