On the 1^st April 1960 the very first pair of Dr. Martens rolled off the production line in a Northamptonshire factory where the brand’s ‘Made in Britain’ collection is still created today. It was a boot that was designed to be functional, for workers who needed practicality. But over the six decades since its conception, the boot has become a symbol of a rebel spirit, a punk energy that, as the brand’s latest campaign demonstrates, is still alive and well in the DM wearers of today.

‘Tough as You’, the brand’s SS20 campaign, demonstrates how the past empowers the future. A message that extends to how a pair of Dr. Martens boots empowers the wearer; and how the rebels that came before empower those that follow.

In the Dr. Martens-yellow-tinted, nostalgically filmed slot, cars do doughnuts, protesters wave placards and musicians smash their guitars, all while wearing their own pair of the iconic shoes. The campaign centres on four contributors, each chosen because of the message of resilience they convey in their lives every day. They include the grime punk musician Bob Vylan, body-positive activist Lotte Van Eijk, rock band Naked Giants, and model Avie Acosta.

The digital components of the campaign all contain a call to action, inviting the audience to respond with what toughness means to them in 2020. It is a shout out that invites people to walk in the footsteps of those rebels that came before.

Andrea Moore, Global Marketing Director at Dr. Martens said of the campaign that, “Posing the question of ‘what does tough mean to you?’ we’re aiming to show the commonalities across our global communities and inspire people to have the courage to do what they want to.”

It is a campaign about self-expression, about finding and feeling confident in your place in the world. And if you can stomp through that world with a pair of Dr. Martens on your feet, then you’re all the better for it. As the opening lines declare, “There are no boundaries; I can do what I want.”