Rick Owens and Dr. Martens, Together at Last
Not to get all new age-y on you, but just for a moment let's imagine that everything in the world is interconnected by shimmering, nigh-invisible strands of energy. Those connections, naturally, are more robust between things that have some degree of essential commonality. The strands linking, say, Facebook and common decency? Fraying little wisps of thread, barely perceptible even if you take the right drugs and look at them at exactly the right angle. The strands linking Rick Owens, the dark lord of fashion, with Dr. Martens, longtime bastion of countercultural footwear? They'd look like the ropes you use to moor a giant cargo ship to the dock. Intimidatingly robust, and undeniably strong.
Done with this pseudo-transcendental bit? Me too—nearly. I'm just trying to put into proper context the shared ethos that seems to draw these two brands together, because, frankly, I'm a little surprised they've never worked together before. But it's true! Until 2021, there was nary a Rick x Docs collab. Now, though, before the year has even reached its halfway point, we've been blessed with not one but two collaborative releases, the second of which is set to hit shelves on Saturday, May 8.
Rick really is the kind of designer who seems like a shoo in for a Dr. Martens collab. He loves beefy footwear, the color black, and all things brutalist. Two of Dr. Martens' most iconic silhouettes—the 1460 boot and 1461 oxford—check all three boxes. So it comes as no particular shock that Owens opted to kick off the collab with a riff on the boot, grafting his signature pentagram lacing onto a black leather version with a chunkier "Bex" sole. If you haven't been keeping track at home (no judgment!), that style sold out back in March. Not to worry: This Saturday, three new styles arrive.
The first is another riff on the 1460 ($330), this time in taupe suede with the same pentagram lacing and Bex sole. The second, the 1461 Bex DS ($300), is done up in black leather with a double-welt sole featuring two sets of stitching, one in white and the other in Dr. Martens' signature yellow. The final entry is a gladiator-inspired sandal, the Gryphon ($270), because even dark lords of fashion need some summer-friendly footwear. If you're in the market for any—or all—of 'em, be sure to mark your calendar. A collaboration this long coming is sure to inspire another sell-out.
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