Dr Martens is continuing on the collaboration trail and its latest link-up is “a physical response to and celebration of Nine Inch Nails’ visceral, ground-breaking album”.

The Downward Spiral collection comes 30 years after the album was released with the company hailing it as still standing as a “towering cultural landmark”. 

The footwear collection takes its spirit and artwork and applies them to a selection of popular DMs styles, including one available only for “ardent fans” and not directly on sale (more of that later).

Why this album and band? Dr Martens said: “Hailed as a masterpiece on arrival. This confrontational soundscape explores some of the bleakest themes and chronicles a descent, which threatens to overwhelm with an abrasive stripping back of its central figure’s beliefs, ideas, and ego, leaving only starkly exposed vulnerability. Intense and immersive. Ferocious and transgressive. A deeply personal musical statement that connected with millions of listeners. A cathartic exploration of the inevitable emptiness derived from self-destructive behaviour.”

Stirring stuff. But how does that translate into footwear? The company added: “Few artists can claim to have created something born of despair that resonates so powerfully with such a massive audience. This revered musical monolith is celebrated with a singular DM’s collection. A tribute to the darkness that generates light using some of Doc’s hardest-hitting silhouettes.

And Nine Inch Nails creative director John Crawford said: “This collaboration just makes so much sense. Not just because of the countless fans I’ve seen wearing Dr Martens at NIN concerts over the years (myself included), but because NIN and Dr Martens are both known for rejecting convention and expectation in favour of innovation, with their distinctive ability to transcend genres and styles in a way that unique to each person who experiences them. 

“The goal was always to make this collection feel as authentically Nine Inch Nails as possible, and I believe through close collaboration with the team at Doc’s we’ve succeeded in that.”

The collection drops this Friday (19 July) and will be available at drmartens.com as well as via select partners.

It includes a 1460 Boot distorted with the album artwork ‘Wound’ by Russell Mills. Reworked in black and white, each 8-eye boot is equipped with multiple fastening options, including a branded ankle zip and removable jungle zip front. The boots have a rubber-grained trim and toe cap “for an industrial aesthetic and a tactile juxtaposition against the Backhand and Smooth leathers of the upper. Set on a hard-hitting commando tread sole and secured with a black-on-black welt stitch. Finished with AirWair heel loop and references to NIN and the Downward Spiral throughout”.

Meanwhile the 1461 3-eye shoe has a rubber-grained leather NIN embossed toe cap, set against DM’s classic black Smooth and Backhand leathers that are used to construct the upper. It’s been “elevated with the iconic ‘Crystal Teeth’ image from the album’s inner art and ‘the downward spiral’ printed in a subtle gloss”. It’s set on a pure black BEN outsole with a traditional Doc’s yellow welt stitch.

And the 1490 is Doc’s 10-eye boot. In a tribute to the “wild and uninhibited live NIN performances, [there’s] a custom print inspired by the band’s pre-show ritual of covering themselves in corn starch for a decomposing, post-apocalyptic aesthetic”. It’s constructed from textured black and white Backhand leather and fitted with an ankle zip that slashes across the inner ankle with branded hardware. And it’s set on an ice commando outsole and fixed with double black and white welt stitches then finished with a monochrome heel loop and two pairs of wrap-around laces.

And as mentioned, to finish the offer, there’s “an extra special edition” of the 1490 boot that’s built from leather embossed with the Downward Spiral album art in pure black. This one isn’t available for purchase, but we’re told that “some of the band’s most ardent fans will be gifted a pair. A fitting tribute to the unique bond shared by the band and those who have supported them for decades”.