Dr Martens global creative director Darren McKoy has stepped down after a decade with the British footwear brand.

McKoy joined the bootmaker in January 2015 as global category manager for footwear, before being promoted to global product and merchandising director in 2017. In November 2021, he was appointed global creative director.

Prior to Dr Martens, Mckoy held a range of product manager and category roles at VF Corp, Adidas, Mamas & Papas and Asics.

During his time at the retailer, Dr Martens reached £1bn in revenue for the year to 31 March 2023.

However since then, it has fallen into the red with a loss before tax of £28.7m for the 26 weeks to 29 September as elevated costs and weakness in wholesale revenue, especially in the US, weighed on its bottom line.

In a Linkedin post this morning Mckoy said: “I joined the brand at a time when it was ready to take bold risks. With an amazing set of passionate people—both long-standing and new—true brand ambassadors who shared an unwavering belief in its potential, we helped transform the business from a circa £136m company to a £1bn powerhouse.

“That journey has been nothing short of extraordinary and life-changing. Witnessing that growth and having the privilege to shape it as product director and then creative director has been an unforgettable and humbling experience.

“After much reflection, I made the decision early last year to step away and embrace new opportunities and creative challenges. It wasn’t an easy choice, as you can imagine, but I feel now is the right time to close this amazing chapter and start writing the next.”

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