Dr. Martens and Original Shift: A Future And History In Youth Culture [@shaolinwaavy @jeshi100]

Original Shift and Dr. Martens have launched a limited edition Zine featuring an anthology of stories, culture and community titled Broken In.

The Zine celebrates the Original Dr. Martens silhouette, the plethora of ways in which it has been styled and the way it represents self expression, creativity and the timeless power of community built on the spirit of rebellion.

Across 100+ pages, Broken In explores inspirational stories from both those within the brand and people making monumental change in their respective fields elsewhere. We get a unique insight from the Museum of Youth Culture, thanks to their archive of young people documented in Dr. Martens throughout history. This new non-profit, emerging museum is dedicated to highlighting the innovative nature of young people over the last 100 years, and their impact on modern society today.

Original Shift aims to tell authentic stories from within the heart of modern day culture, using archival knowledge to provide context to the past and act as a referential source for the future. This collaboration between this ever-evolving ecosystem and Dr. Martens’ original silhouettes represent a marrying of aligned ideologies best articulated by the three freethinkers that are presented in the Zine.

We get to explore the unique perspectives of musical talent Jeshi, music community architect Ghadir Mustafa, fashion designer Koen Prince-Fraser and documentarian and photographer Aria Shahrokhshahi through how they style the classic 1460 and 1461 silhouettes. The creatives of course also discuss their work, communities and the experiences that got them to where they are today. This palpable and undeniable ardour that led to these creatives being featured, is beautifully captured through the energetic imagery by Tayler Prince-Fraser, Original Shift’s photographer and co-founder.

Thankfully Original Shift isn’t the end of the Dr. Martens team celebrating and highlighting the essential nature of youth culture. Instead, they are putting their money where their mouth is to support young people. In collaboration with Museum of Youth Culture they are introducing a new bursary scheme titled The Dr. Martens Creative Fund. Alongside including Original Shift’s work within the Museum of Youth Culture’s archive, this bursary will support two young creatives and will ensure that this project has a legacy.

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