'Doc Martens' (or 'DMs') boots had their beginnings during World War Two, when Dr Klaus Maertens was convalescing from a skiing accident in which he had injured his ankle, and produced a design for a cushion-soled shoe to relieve the pain of walking. With some help from a friend, Dr Herbert Funck, he made the prototype by heat-sealing old tyres for the sole: within two years the process had been patented and 'Dr Maertens' shoes were popular in a number of European countries. In 1960 Maertens and Funck agreed that a licence should be granted to the Northamptonshire firm of R Griggs & Co, to make the shoes on a larger commercial scale: at this point the Maertens name was anglicized, and the range branded as 'AirWair'. The resistant finish, allied with exceptionally tough and long-lasting uppers, led to the boots' popularity as workwear, but during the 1960s they went on to be associated with rebellious youth such as skinheads. Having become a design classic, they are now available in fashion effects such as bright colours, and tartan or floral patterns, in sizes from toddler to adult.