Nine Inch Nails’ epic sophomore album, The Downward Spiral, turned 30 earlier this year, and now the industrial-rock vets are collaborating with Dr. Martens for a new collection of footwear to keep the celebration going.
Dr. Martens calls the new collaboration “a physical response to Nine Inch Nails’ visceral, ground-breaking album” and notes that all three silhouettes incorporate “industrial design references.” They include the 8-eye 1460 boot, with a black-and-white version of Russell Mills’ “Wound” from the cover art; the three-eye 1461 shoe in black with a “Crystal Teeth” design from the album; and the extra-tall black 10-eye 1490 boot, which they say is “inspired by the band’s uninhibited live shows where they would cover themselves in cornstarch for a decayed, post-apocalyptic aesthetic.”
Read more: Every Nine Inch Nails album ranked
John Crawford, NIN’s creative director, told Hypebeast, “This collaboration just makes so much sense. Not just because of the countless fans I’ve seen wearing Dr. Martens at NIN concerts over the years, myself included, but because NIN and Dr. Martens are both known for rejecting convention and expectation in favor of innovation.”
Crawford continued, “Once we decided the collection would be themed around The Downward Spiral, we knew we’d have the advantage of using elements from Russell Mills’ incredible paintings that were created for the album’s packaging… We hid the repeating text ‘Nothing can stop me now’ — a mantra from the album — behind the zipper.”
The collection will be available starting on July 19 from Dr. Marten’s website and other select retailers.
Previously, Dr. Martens has made boots and shoes with Joy Divison, New Order, Sex Pistols, CBGB, Black Sabbath, and more.
This article was originally published on BrooklynVegan.com and has been edited by Alternative Press.
