Fenway Boots! LL Bean Gives Away 50 Made-To-Order Boots Created With Fenway Park Rain Tarp.

Outdoor retailer L.L.Bean has revealed the most innovative version of its signature product: the Fenway Bean Boot. Made of upcycled Fenway Park tarp from the 2012 season, the one-of-a-kind boots will be made-to-order for a select number of lucky Red Sox fans who engage with L.L.Bean on Facebook and other channels.




The opportunity to win has already begun. When fans can visit Facebook.com/llbean to share their favorite Red Sox moment, they are entered for a chance to own a piece of baseball history. Submissions will be received through Sunday, October 20, 2013.



Company founder Leon Leonwood (“L.L.”) Bean believed in the reuse of materials long before the concept of “upcycling” came into vogue. The one-of-a-kind Bean Boots put the rain delay tarp that covered the Fenway Park infield in 2012 – the 100th anniversary year for both Fenway Park and L.L.Bean – to great use as the upper material of the weatherproof rubber soled boots.



“This project brings together two of L.L.’s favorite things: Bean Boots and baseball,” said Steve Fuller, Chief Marketing Officer for L.L.Bean. “As a season ticket holder, L.L. loved the Red Sox and he would be delighted to see the Fenway tarp put to use in a way that fans can enjoy.”


above: The LL Bean logo is at the center of the tarp that protects the field at Fenway Park during its 100th season.


above: The 100th anniversary L.L.Bean rain tarp photo via @mdanubio4 on Twitter.

Originally named the Maine Hunting Shoe, the popular Bean Boot has seen a variety of style changes since its introduction in 1912, all remaining true to the original and still handcrafted in Maine. Early versions had a red brick sole, reintroduced for the 100th anniversary of L.L.Bean, and today’s collection includes an assortment of styles for women and men such as waxed canvas and shearling-lined leather.

Each of the 100 limited-edition Fenway Bean Boots will be custom made for lucky recipients at L.L.Bean’s manufacturing facility in Brunswick, ME.

“These unique boots are just one of the many ways L.L.Bean has demonstrated their innovative spirit throughout our partnership,” said Troup Parkinson, Red Sox Senior Vice President. “From the 100th anniversary tote bags, to The One Fund Boston Tote, to these Fenway Bean Boots, they continue to highlight new ways of bringing our two New England brands closer.”



Last month, L.L.Bean announced a contribution of $114,000 to The One Fund Boston following the sale of 3,500 limited edition totes also made from the 2012 Fenway Park tarp (shown above). The One Fund Boston totes sold out in just over a day with 100% percent of profits benefitting the cause.

Share your favorite Fenway Park moment with L.L. Bean to enter to win one of 50 pairs of made-to-order Fenway Bean Boots, handcrafted from the 2012 100th anniversary Fenway rain tarp.



Find out more about the contest and learn how L.L.Bean upcycled the Fenway Park infield rain tarp here

Fifty winners will be selected at random and notified on October 21. Additional ways to win – including on campus at select Northeast colleges – will be announced. Follow @LLBean for more details.

*All contest entries are moderated and will appear in the gallery within 24 hours of submission*

Design The Next Pair Of Dr. Martens Boots!

Choose your canvas: the 8-hole or the 14-hole boot. Use pens, use paint, use whatever. Use your imagination. They've provided some tools here. They've made it fun and easy, with templates, you can download, color changing with the click of a mouse, and more. So don't be intimidated... go for it.



Or if you want, you can use your own tools and templates. They will have two winners. One voted for by the people. The other chosen by their panel of industry insiders. You enter it. They’ll actually make them. You’ll see them in shops. Worldwide.

Last year's winners available for purchase:


above:
A custom design by Jeremy Asher Lynch of San Diego, CA, entitled "Faces." 2007 winner of our boot design contest. This is a limited edition and each pair is numbered. Buy the 'faces' boot in the US here.

Your competition (or inspiration).

Above: design of the week as selected by the panel of judges.

Below are the highest rated top ten designs as of sunday, june 8th:






A bit of background on Dr. Martens:

Klaus Maertens

Dr. Martens is the stuff of legends. It all began near Munich, Germany in 1945 when Dr. Klaus Maertens injured his foot in a skiing accident in the Bavarian Alps. To make walking easier during the healing process, he designed a shoe with an air-cushioned sole. Using old rubber tires, he constructed soles that had air trapped within closed compartments. He showed his prototype to his engineer/inventor friend, Dr. Herbert Funck, and together they decided to develop and produce the shoes. Not only did the shoe solve the doctor’s immediate problem, but it also started to sell well in Germany.

On April 1st, 1960, the famous eight-hole Dr. Martens boot – the so-called 1460 was born. This was followed by the 1914 with its 14-holes. Both of these boots were immediately embraced as a working-class essential across the UK.



But then something incredible started to happen. Like some viral infection, the postmen, factory workers and transport unions who had initially bought the boot by the thousand, were joined by the rejects, outcasts and rebels from the fringes of society. At first, it was the working-classes; before long it was the masses.



Skinheads were the first subculture to adopt the boot in the early 1960s. They were followed by nearly all the tribes that emerged over the next four decades: Mods, glam rockers, punks, ska, psychobillies, grebos, goths, industrialists, nu-metal, hardcore, straight-edge, grunge, Britpop, emo… etc.

Subcultures are exactly that – outside of mainstream culture – true to form these disparate ‘tribes’ rapidly began customising the boots: hot knifing, spraying, cutting, painting, deliberately roughing them up or obsessively polishing them to a luminous shine.



High fashion has similarly messed around with the core design in order to include the famous boot in their collections over the last 50 years. Designers who have produced their own unique customisations include Manolo Blahnik, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivian Westwood, Gareth Pugh and most recently Yohji Yamamoto.

Regardless of whether it was a street tribe, musician or fashion legend who was personalising this iconic footwear, the common denominator was the ‘person’, the individual, the creative streak that lies deep within every Dr. Martens wearer. No marketing was ever needed, or used, to create this cycle of invention, and as such this forged a purity that has made the boot one of the most recognisable symbols of creativity and rebellion purely through the people who’ve worn them.

We will be forever indebted to the people who have made us what we are today and continue to do so by using Dr. Martens boots as a blank canvas for their own relentless creativity.

above photos and information courtesy of dr. martens

Now, get designing!