Telling a rebel by his boots

MANILA, Philippines - In the 50 or so years that the brand’s been around, no one’s ever slipped on a pair of Dr. Martens and thought, “Today I want to blend in.”

This is exactly the rebellious philosophy the brand is capitalizing on with their #StandForSomething campaign, which was launched last Friday at the LRI Design Plaza. To mark the unveiling of their 2013 autumn/winter line, Dr. Martens Philippines hosted a multimedia exhibit where local artists got to express their personal stands through their work.

“StandForSomething is about getting people involved in representing what they passionately stand for,” explains Nina Defensor, the PR and marketing director of Dr. Martens Philippines.

“We wanted to showcase the ruggedness of our campaign, and it’s meant to be a no-bullshit thing, just direct to the point—and dirty if needed,” she adds, referencing the marked-off area of dirt that guests are invited to step in, then literally leave their mark on the canvas-covered floor.

Making up the list of exhibitors were film director Judd Figuerres and photographers Shaira Luna, Eddie Boy Escudero, Kenji O, and Young STAR’s own Ralph Mendoza. Guests also got to watch artists Rob Cham and Arion “Penny” Pennington begin and finish their pieces at the exhibit itself.

“We chose (our artists) because there’s one thing in particular about each of them that’s super different, quirky, or just weird,” says Defensor.

Seventeen-year-old Pennington cites Vincent van Gogh and Picasso as his early influences but labels his own work—detailed illustrations rendered in Sharpies—“ignorant art.” He explains, “Sometimes (my art) doesn’t look very intelligent, you know? But that’s kind of what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to make art for people who don’t really see art that much.”

Explaining how his artistic principles fit in with the Dr. Martens campaign, he says, “I’m trying to do something different. I consider that rebellion. I don’t know what I’m doing right now; honestly, I’m just having my fun, I’m just enjoying myself. People might not like it, people might not consider what I’m doing art, but I do.”

Cham’s piece for the night was a person fitted in Dr. Martens whose head had exploded. “Mostly it’s a theme of overthinking, which I do, which you can probably tell by the way I speak,” he says between much fidgety foot shuffling.

It seems appropriate that his “I Stand For” statement tacked onto his canvas reads, “I stand for a lot of things, I swear. I can’t list all of them down right now.”

He explains, “I sort of thought like, ‘If I’m supposed to think about something, it’s gonna limit me. Like, maybe I’m more than just about that (one stance).’”

That said, the exhibit was a fitting way to demonstrate the Dr. Martens identity, one marked by a predilection for freethinking and brazen self-expression.