Dr. Martens’ latest collection puts a foot in sustainability.
The Genix Nappa collection is fully made from reclaimed leather using leather offcuts, with retail prices starting at 140 British pounds.
“The materials that we choose, we choose very carefully. When we look at the options around lower-impact materials, more circular, or regenerative approaches, scalability is also important — we’re tackling leather waste, but without compromising the durability of the product,” said Tuze Mekik Arguedas Schwank, global head of sustainability at Dr. Martens, in an interview.
The reclaimed collection is a trial for the brand after a demand from customers for more sustainable materials.
Schwank joined Dr. Martens seven years ago and previously held positions within sustainability at Burberry and Gap.
To extend the brand’s sustainability efforts, the brand has introduced ReWair, a program to restore secondhand Dr. Martens shoes and bags that’s currently only available in the U.S. Customers can trade in their worn products for a $20 voucher toward a new pair of shoes or a bag.
Last week Dr. Martens collaborated with Supreme yet again — this time to reimagine the classic 1461 shoe in a way that reveals new hues as they are worn.
The collaboration includes two versions of the iconic three-eye shoe crafted in Arcadia and Rub Off leathers that deliver a subtle worn-in look. The more the shoes are worn, hidden colors will begin to emerge. A combination of green and blue will surface on the red edition, while shimmery silver will pop up on the black model.
The streetwear label and the British brand have collaborated on a number of occasions over the years. In 2023, the pair revamped the Penton Tassel loafers, as well as the Ramsey creeper. In 2022, Supreme gave the 1461 three-eye shoe a makeover that included an embroidered spider web graphic on the upper. In 2017, they marked the same style with a sacred heart graphic on the side.