When Rick Owens calls, shortly after his brandâs autumn/winter 2021 show staged on the banks of Venice Lido, he is feeling pleased about the quote he has quickly whipped up regarding his new Dr Martens collaboration. It is indeed poetic and describes his formative years as a small-town, wide-eyed youngster moving from Porterville to LA to experience life â full throttle. âWhen I was a teen and becoming physically aware, I saw how a tightly-laced ankle leading to a broad, solidly planted foot had a simple, modest, industrial masculinityâ, he muses, adding, âalmost like a corset between a muscled calf and a sturdy foot that acted as a stoic ballast. DMs exemplified this best.â And so, when Dr Martens came calling decades down the line, Rick owed it to his punk rocker youth to say yes.