Doc Martens lace color meanings

Every once in a while the mysterious Doc Martens “lace color code” pops out here and there, especially regarding skinhead fashion.

So, what do different boot lace colors mean? Or is the “lace code” just an urban legend?

Shortly put, there is no universal “lace code” regarding Doc Martens/boot lace colors. As a matter of fact, there is no such thing in most parts of the world.

If anything, it used to be a strictly regional phenomenom (and possibly still is in some areas). Skinheads around a certain areas, mostly in the US, would use certain color boot laces to indicate certain things.

However, skinhead was originally a British subculture, and most British skins don’t give a rats ass about such “code”. They will wear anything that looks smart and have a good laugh if you go asking them about why they’d pick such color laces for their boots.

“The colour of laces doesn’t mean anything no matter what people might tell you. They mean different things in different areas, but basically they don’t mean a thing. A lot of people wear football colours. I wear red and white laces because I support Airdrieonians.”^[1]George Marshall, Skinhead Nation, 1996

Boot lace color meanings

Since you are all here for the infamous Doc Martens lace color meanings, let’s have a look at some of the best known ones.

Like said, it’s worth noticing that sociological research regarding skinhead lace color codes have studied certain skinhead groups or gangs in certain areas, so these meanings are not universal.

A study that was conducted in Southern California found that:

“Although the color coding of laces can vary from one geographical region to the next, several general patterns emerged in data collection: white laces express white power, red laces stand for anarchy and communism, and, a combination of yellow, black, and blue laces are often used to identify anti-racist SHARPs.”^[2]D. Sarabia and T. E. Shriver, Maintaining Collective Identity in a Hostile Environment: Confronting Negative Public Perception and Factional Divisions within the Skinhead Subculture, Sociological … Continue reading

While a study referencing skinheads from Portland states that:

“white for racial purity, red for the blood they are willing to shed and yellow as a signal they have shed someone else’s.”^[3]David S. Jackson, Skinhead against Skinhead, Time 142.6, 1993

So, take these with a grain of salt.

White

In areas where lace color code was a thing, white laces were typically used for expressing “white power” or “racial purity”.

Red

Red laces are a bit trickier. They could be a Nazi skin symbol for “blood they are willing to shed” in some areas like Portland, or express a positive stance on anarchy and communism in others like Southern California.

Yellow

Yellow laces were a signal that the wearer had shed someone else’s blood.

Blue

Blue laces are often thought to be a signal for a negative stance against the police (ACAB), or in some wildest stories even a sign that the wearer had killed a cop.

Black

Black laces are usually the default color on a pair of Doc Martens, so they have no meaning as far as we can tell.

Purple

Purple laces are sometimes said to be signalling gay pride.