Students put their stamp on Dr. Martens

To celebrate the school’s enduring commitment to their traditional uniform, Dr. Martens brought their design your own boot competition to the school’s art department, offering the opportunity for six year 9 students to win a tour of their UK factory and a pair of shoes or boots of their choice, with one overall winner having their design brought to life.

The Design A Boot competition opened globally on Facebook on February 3 and the school set the project to their art students during Easter, asking their pupils to create a piece of artwork that represents what they stand for and translating this into a boot design.

A winner was selected on May 16, whose design will be custom built by the Dr. Martens UK factory.

Billie Baier, UK marketing executive, Dr. Martens said: “It’s really exciting to see a school embrace Dr. Martens as part of their uniform. We love to work with organisations who stand for something – such as Christ’s Hospital who stand for “encouraging individuality and self-expression in their pupils.”

Claire Philips, spokesperson for the school, said: “The reason our pupils wear Dr. Martens shoes is because Christ’s Hospital is a large site and they also march into lunch every day – they find Dr. Martens comfortable, hard wearing and durable.”

The Dr. Martens boot, with its trademark yellow stitch, grooved sole and heel-loop, was originally a boot for workers, worn by postmen and policemen; comfortable, durable and lightweight in comparison to its competitors at the time. The 1461 3-eye shoe incorporates the features of the classic boot into a sturdy shoe available in a range of colours and materials.

The Horsham based private school takes great pride in their uniform, with a long blue coat and distinctive yellow socks originally designed in a Tudor style, which has remained largely unchanged for 460 years. The traditions of the school have all students march out for lunch at 13:20 in full uniform. Christ’s Hospital School also holds a march through London on St. Matthew’s day every year.

Since opening in June last year, the Dr. Martens Brighton store has made it easy for students to pick up the 1461 3-eye shoe. The store, found at 15b Prince Albert Street, also stocks a wide range of kids shoes and boots as well as adult footwear and clothing.

Report and picture contributed by Christ’s Hospital.