Dr Martens and Central Saint Martins students join forces for collab contest

Dr Martens is known for its series of collaborations with big names like Jean Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. But in the case of its latest link-up, the designers aren’t well-known, although they might be one day.

It has teamed up with one of the world’s most famous fashion schools — Central Saint Martins — with a selection of CSM’s “standout students from the MA course” reinterpreting the DM 1460 boot. 

Each of the designers has used Dr Martens “as a canvas to express their own unique vision”.

The company said that the collab is also “a major career opportunity” for the nine participants with four ultimate winners being named next February. 

Each will have prototypes of their DM designs produced by the firm and showcased as a limited run of “authentically manufactured products at their graduate show or installation as part of London Fashion Week that month”, while also being awarded a £5,000 bursary to help develop ideas during their final academic term.

As part of the competition, each student will style a final look from their graduate collection with their version of the 1460. They’ll also be photographed for a portrait to celebrate the collaboration, wearing their 1460. 

And each part of the process will be documented by the students for social media.

The judges include Dr Martens’ Global Creative Director Darren McCoy; course leader of MA Fashion at CSM Fabio Piras; Lulu Kennedy, the founder of Fashion East; and longstanding DMs collaborator Erin Magee of Supreme.

So, who are the designers? There’s Atli Alfredsson, whose style incorporates “innovative men’s tailoring with gender fluid touches of corsetry and cut-away elements”.

Joyce Bao, who “creates ethereal, organic, sculptural womenswear that makes radical use of traditional lacemaking, inspired by fairies and witches”.

Dhruv Bandil who studied in Mumbai before coming to London and is “focused on pushing the boundaries of Indian contemporary art through hyperbolic silhouettes in clothing”.

Yanya Cheng (Alice) who’s developing womenswear with complex pattern cutting, folded and layered fabrics, “incorporating a boldly futurist tone”.

Alvaro Martinez who worked as an assistant stylist at Givenchy in Paris and at Vivienne Westwood’s studio before studying at CSM and is focused on “directional womenswear”.

Valeria Pulici who worked in-house at BOY London and is a “highly accomplished print designer using both hand sketching and digital manipulation, while also creating multi-product collections with a focus on streetwear”.

Meanwhile Maximilian Raynor has created clothes for Ellie Goulding, Shygirl and Stefflon Don and describes his style as a “juxtaposition of historical elegance and refined craftsmanship with a more anarchic, erotic, and distinctly ‘London’ energy”.

Traiceline Pratt grew up in the Bahamas and creates womenswear with “super-exaggerated sculptural shapes that distort the silhouette of the wearer”.

And last but by no means least, there’s Finlay Vincent Roberts, the designer behind his own menswear-focused label, System, based on modular clothing.