Featuring a range of footwear collections with quality and look that makes it completely familiar all over the world. Doc Martens, also known as Dr. Martens, packs up all the desired footwear features in one place. They are comfortable, including natural leather with a highly thickened PVC leather sole.
Without any doubt, doc martens are widely popular because of their unique vintage looks. People who don’t know that much about this premium quality footwear brand have questions like ‘Are doc martens real leather?’ Yes, most Doc martens footwear is made with original leather except vegan Doc Martens. They are specially built with synthetic polymer fiber instead.
As they use high-quality leather, which has a smooth texture, and high shine, doc martens offer maximum breathability. In addition, the leathers are flexible and have excellent durability. All of these made it a must-have choice for premium shoe seekers.
Are doc martens real leather or synthetic leather?
Yes, most doc martens types created used natural leather except its vegan leather series. Doc martens use a range of different types of leather sourced from different countries. All these leathers have unique characteristics which enable different impressions with color and outlook.
For instance, if you are thinking about the softest leather series of doc martens, you need to consider any of these,
- The Nappa and Virginia leather
- Vegan leather
- Smooth leather
Among them, vegan leather is synthetic leather made from microfiber. The Nappa and Virginia leather is original leather treated to feel smooth and flexible. Their smooth leather comes with natural characteristics that mold to feet and ensures maximum comfort when walking. So, doc martens have both real leather and synthetic leather boots available.
What type of leather do doc martens use?
The special leather that Doc Martens uses is called Quilon leather. The way the leather and the shoes are produced are unique, which makes them distinguished in mainstream culture.
However, doc martens have various leather shoes available. Quilon leather is stiff in nature and has a textured surface which gives them a born-to-be vintage look. However, doc martens also use a variety of leather except for Quilon. They are,
Crazy Horse Leather
Crazy horse leather is a special leather type that is known for its characteristics. They don’t actually come from crazy horses as they sound; rather, they are entire cowhides.
Then they applied wax to the full-grain leather. The wax adds liquid resistance and improves durability. In addition, crazy horse leather looks more attractive when used over time.
Aniline Leather
This is a natural Napa leather, which is soft, and the clear wax finish makes it flexible to wear. Napa leather means the leather is soft, tanned animal hides. When processing, this type of leather is used to dye in aniline dyes. That’s why it’s called aniline leather.
Tuscan Leather
Tuscans are authentic handmade tanned leather. Tuscan leather is selected with high accuracy in mind and then sectioned into two different parts, which are full grain and crust. Tuscany products are handmade, and they are popular for python, cowhide, saffiano, and dollaro leathers.
Temperley Leather
Fine natural unfinished leather comes from Argentina. You can polish it or leave it dry. This leather has an extremely smooth texture that you can see mostly in Dr. martens wide boots.
Petrol Leather
Full-grain cowhide leather is processed with intact, thick skin, having undergone only one tanning. The leather is characterized by its unique appearance, which looks like oil floating on a water surface. Petrol leather is mostly used for jackets, handbags, and other premium leather accessories.
Patent Lamper
These are the glittery, eye-catching Doc Martens that are mostly seen on occasions worn by the elite. Patent leather reflects light as it has a glossy finish and is coated to give a high shine. The leather is waterproof, and you need to take extra care to long last the glossy texture.
Carpathian Leather
Especially characterized by doc martens, this soft, flexible, full-grain leather is mainly used for the old classic 8-eye 1460 boot. The leather is oily and requires conditioning over time to stay hydrated. Its black oily appearance makes it in high demand for doc martens.
Brando Leather
Brando creates high-quality natural full-grain leather, which Doc Martens source and use for certain product lineups. This type of leather is hand-picked and tanned through a natural vegetable tanning process. Brando is known to produce the most durable type of leather, which has zero chemicals.
Boanil Brush Leather
If you are a doc martens lover, you may be familiar with the iconic 1461 boanil brush boots, which come with the perfect formal shoes you desire. The waxy full-grain leather has a high shine and an always ready-to-go look that fits well with any formal dress-up.
Suede Leather
Doc Martens also has many suede leather footwear options available in its rich collection. Suede is a specialized leather type that is taken from the underside of the animal skin. It has a soft, rough surface and is thinner and softer. Therefore, it is less durable compared to the other types of leather above.
Where does Doc Martens get their leather from?
Doc martens collect their leather from various sources. As it uses different types of leather for different shoes to inflict unique characteristics, we see some leathers are handmade such as vegan leather. Vegan leather works as a great alternative to natural leather. Natural leathers are collected from various sources; for instance,
- Crazy horse full grain leather from Thailand
- Patent lamper leather sourced by PU-coated split from China
- Nappa and Virginia corrected grain leather from Argentina
- Petrol leather which is Italian-made leather
- Temperley leather from Argentina.
Not only this, Doc Martens offers personalized accessories to clean and take care of the shoes. For each distinguished shoe type, you can follow the specific shoe care guideline they provide.
Final Words
If you are on the verge of deciding which Doc martens you should buy, we recommend you take a closer look at its extensive product lineups. Doc Martens covers all kinds of footwear, including sandals, casual styles, boots, etc.
For leather options, you need to consider the types of leather you are choosing. It is because each leather type requires special care to unlock its full potential. Doc martens use natural full-grain leather, which is treated separately. You can get the full leather details from the shoe packaging with how you should take care of them.
