For the first time, footwear retailer Dr Martens is offering consumers the chance to buy second-hand and restored shoes.
The brand has partnered with online marketplace, Depop, and The Boot Repair Company, to trial ‘Dr. Martens ReSouled’ – a new repair and resale initiative aimed at supporting its focus on increasing the life of its products.
Dr Martens has provided a range of used inventory to The Boot Repair Company, and each restored pair is checked and listed on the Dr Martens Depop shop for sale – with the company promising to ship the items with minimal and recycled packaging.
Customers cannot yet donate old boots for the scheme, but the retailer said it is “looking at ways to develop the project in the future”.
It added there are two grades of footwear resold on ReSouled – ‘excellent’, or lightly used items with no noticeable flaws, and ‘good’, which will have some signs of wear or minor flaws.
Dr Martens said that all ReSouled products are cleaned and sanitised inside and out to a professional standard using antimicrobial protection, Micro-Fresh. All footwear is marked inside the tongue or strap so it can be identified as ReSouled product.
“We’ve made a commitment to offer our wearers more options and support to maximise the life of their footwear and keep their boots and shoes stomping for longer,” says the webpage dedicated to the new service.
“ReSouled is our next step forward on our path towards leaving things better than we found them – to help our wearers make the most of each pair of DMs.”
The project is currently in its trial stage, and Dr Martens said for now – and conscious of its carbon footprint – it will only run in the UK, which is where the repairs are undertaken. If the trial is successful, the plan is to expand ReSouled.
All returns and customer queries will be facilitated through the Depop app.
Customers looking to get their Dr Martens footwear repaired can contact the The Boot Repair Company directly – it’s not a service the brand offers yet. Consumers can, however, donate their old footwear for recycling in the stores where Soles4Souls collections are present.
[Image credit: Dr Martens]
