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Dr. Martens has been a revitalized brand since 2016, but the public is falling out of love with it. In 2023, the Guardian mentioned that the British bootmaker’s revenue decreased by a fifth, citing inflation as the culprit. That could be true, or the public may simply be falling out of love with the brand again and have found a new boot.

The Data

The brand’s popularity online was dormant from 2004 to 2016, compared to the increases of the last eight years. Their revenue was £454 million in 2019, six times more than in 2013.

With any fashion trend cycle, there is usually a decline. The brand's search volume has been falling steadily since 2021 as well. The Google Trends graphs show that Dr. Martens has not been able to sustain its popularity. Could this be a fall from grace or the natural decline of a fashion trend?

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All signs point to people looking for the product less often, but there are still 447,000 monthly Google searches for “doc martens” in the United States. It’s not a dead brand by any means.

People still google the brand name often as seen below by the monthly Google searches in the United States:

• doc martens 447,000 times per month
• doc martens boots 46,000 times per month
• doc martens sandals 9,000 times per month
• doc martens shoes 8,400 times per month
• doc martens loafers 7,800 times per month

The Reason for Decline

Fashion trends move up and down, but the decline of Doc Martens may be more than that.

The company moved production from the United Kingdom to Asia, and people began discussing whether the product was being made cheaply. The internet is sometimes made for complaining, but it’s not difficult to find a thread on Reddit discussing that the product isn’t as sturdy as it once was. Even in this post from 2015 the assumption or experience was that Docs just aren’t as strong as they used to be. The Doc Martens subreddit even has people discussing the brand’s transition from Buy it for Life to Fast Fashion.

Here Comes Blundstone

If you look around, it’s obvious which footwear product has gained in the market. From the CBC in 2017 to The New York Times in 2023, the brand has been widely discussed because of their newfound popularity.

Blundstones are on the rise in the United States. The high peaks happen in November due to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, which happen in the Fall and Winter seasons when people need them. Blundstone’s boots have become so omnipresent in certain communities that it’s become a meme.

It’s not that Blundstone is eclipsing the Docs brand entirely, as their monthly search volume in the US doesn’t hold up to the volume to Dr. Martens.

• blundstone boots (googled 69,000 times per month)
• blundstone boots women (googled 9,600 times per month)
• blundstone boots men (googled 4,000 times per month)

Blundstone isn’t putting Docs out of business any time soon, but it’s easy to find the reason that Dr. Martens' profits are declining.

Are Solovair The New Docs?

Although they are separate companies now, Solovair (sole of air) and Dr, Martens products had shared manufacturing and products. From 1960 to the mid-1990s, the product was called “Dr. Martens made by Solovair”. The difference is, Solovair is still made in the original factory from 1899 which people take as a sign of a more reliable product. It’s easy to find discussions about people moving to Solovair: PSA: docs are trash now (reddit.com/r/punkfashion)

Although “solovair” is Googled 25,000 times per month compared to “doc martens” at 452,000 times per month, it’s interesting to see how far Solovair’s popularity will get.

And if you're interested in checking them out, take a look at our pal's page on Solovair boots and shoes at Wallace Mercatine Shop.