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How to Sell Subculture to the Masses

Scaling a brand without selling out can be a challenge. Here’s how the likes of Dr Martens, Supreme and Vans have managed it.
Dr Martens boots | Source: Courtesy
Dr Martens boots | Source: Courtesy (Patrick Gunning)

In the 1970s and 1980s, a pair of clompy Dr Martens was an essential part of the uniform for many of the people orbiting the early punk scene in Camden Town. Decades on, the goths and aspiring musicians may be outnumbered by tourists, but you’ll still see plenty of passersby in both camps sporting the boots.

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