London & South East Premier Retail

Dr. Martens Camden

Dr. Martens
Written by Roma Publications

Dr. Martens – Made In Camden

In April 2017 Dr. Martens opened its 28th UK store in the brand’s spiritual home of Camden, London. Situated in the Camden Market area, it’s Dr. Martens latest UK flagship store trading across 2 floors of approximately 4000 sq ft as well as employing a crew of 25 people.

The store is housed in a Grade II* Listed 19th century building and retains many of its original features. The building was originally used as a tack room for horses which were used to haul goods and equipment from the railway into warehouses in the area. Dr. Martens own retail concept consists of an industrial, stripped down, environment. The old Tack Room is a natural fit for this and many of original features have been used to complete the overall design.

The store carries the full Dr. Martens range across men’s, women’s, kids and also presents an extensive range of industrial product which sits at the heart of the brand. Consumers get the opportunity to view limited edition exclusive designs that can only be bought in this new Camden store. These exclusive designs have been all been inspired by generations of individuals that have expressed themselves through their love of customisation of their DM’s.

The footwear styles all sit on chunky outsoles, use soft oily leathers and feature a pilgrim stitch toecap. All styles have chrome hardware, chrome heel-loop stitching and matching Made for Camden chrome emboss on the footbeds – all of which are underpinned by the yellow stitch synonymous with DM’s. The 14-eye boot benefits from hand-studded embellishments. Classic DM’s satchels will come with and without studding features and T-shirts are available with a unique Made For Camden illustration.

Dr. Martens

Throughout the store there are a number of special areas and features. First up is a specially commissioned one-off piece of art from Specials bass player Horace Panter who has interpreted the brand’s deep rooted link to youth subculture through his own unique take on Camden.

Interactive elements throughout the store include a free GIF booth for consumers to engage with, plus a designated area for artists and fans to personalise their favourite DM’s old and new.

To complement the new flagship store, a brand experience space has been created which sits next to the main retail floor and features a permanent stage and backline supported by Marshall Amps and Natal Drums. Throughout the year there will be a full programme of music activation in collaboration with online radio specialists Mixcloud. Around the perimeter of the space, the brand’s unparalleled authentic connection to music and youth-subculture from the 1960s to present day is showcased through one-off and never-before-seen brand items – plus music memorabilia and original items donated by The Joe Strummer Archive, Pauline Black & Twin Atlantic to name but a few.

A Virtual Reality experience, powered by Oculus, allows fans to take a virtual tour of the brand’s original UK factory – the place which made the first pair of DM’s on 1st April, 1960 and still makes special edition products to this very day. Through VR, customers are able to see how DM’s are made like no other shoe on earth, from start to finish.

Ahead of the store opening, a DM’s spokesperson said:

“By opening a store in Camden Market it allows Dr. Martens to have a conversation with both our local and international fans against the backdrop of the alternative and vibrant community of Camden. It also positions the brand in its rightful home – an area steeped in authenticity and musical heritage.

“Dr. Martens has a long-standing relationship with music and the creative communities, so having an area which fans can access and use to showcase their talent will be a really positive thing – especially to London’s music venue scene which is under ever-increasing pressure of closure. We very much see this exciting new store becoming a cultural hub for the brand, its fans and Camden.”

Dr. Martens

NoiseBoys Technologies Ltd

NoiseBoys Technologies Ltd specialise in creative audio and lighting for professional venues and one-off events. Two friends who had previously been working in project management and live events for their whole careers formed the company in 2009 after noticing a widening gap between technology and the people who had to use it day-to-day.

NoiseBoys have an impressive portfolio of projects, having worked with everyone from Grade I listed Leicester Cathedral – where they helped broadcast the burial of King Richard III live on Channel 4 – to cruise ships, skate parks and more. Most recently, NoiseBoys has been involved in Dr. Martens, Camden.

Phill Beynon, NoiseBoys Technologies Ltd, said:

“We were approached with an idea and a visual of what would become The Boot Room, and it was our job to turn the idea into reality. The brief was to create a professional gig venue within the shop but without touching the fabric of the building, and that’s what Dr. Martens now have.

“We designed, supplied and installed everything from the stage to the lights to the DJ decks to the cables that connect it altogether. Our in-house staff also support Dr. Martens on an ongoing basis, mixing for gigs when needed.”

Phill added:

“We love this type of project, it’s totally up our street. To be involved with such an iconic brand, in such an iconic venue, in such an iconic location, was something that we really wanted to get involved with from the start, and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole project.

“We love turning a creative vision into a reality that compliments its surroundings, be that through the use of light, audio or visuals. One of our biggest strengths is fitting technology around the people who use it every day, whether they’re technicians or not, which means that we deliver creative ideas that actually work in the real world!”

About the author

Roma Publications