Words by Ann-Kathrin Riedl

Photography by Marina Mónaco

Styling Nicole Atieno

Hair & Makeup Mariya Madzharova

Production Ann-Kathrin Riedl

Photo Assistant Ellie Haase

Styling Assistant Alexandra Schmidt

Set Assistant Elena Kaempfe

Talent Luisa Gaffron

Dr. Martens x Luisa Gaffron: How to find comfort in an uncomfortable world

There are people who prefer to stay in the background, hiding behind others. And then there are people like Luisa Gaffron - confident in her views, inspiring, and fearless. Not only is she one of the most talented actresses in the German-speaking world, she also puts her name and face to causes like climate justice and anti-racism in a way so genuine that we’ve long been impressed by her. To us, Luisa is a true Fräulein personality. Which is why we were all the more excited to team up with her to shoot the latest shoe models from a brand that, like no other, stands for authenticity: Dr. Martens. In front of photographer Marina Monaco’s lens, Luisa slipped into the two brand-new Dr. Martens boots for Fall/Winter 2025 - the Zebzag Laceless Boot and the Zebzag Rigger Boot - that both stand out with the ultra-soft cushioned Zebzag sole. The setting for the shoot? The striking brutalist architecture of Berlin’s iconic ICC trade fair complex. A woman who values comfort in her shoes but would never stay in her own comfort zone - what could be a better match? In the interview, we talked with Luisa about her connection to Dr. Martens, the path to finding her own voice, and the comfort we should all show to one another.

Jacket and pants Sample 030, Belt Liebeskind, Socks Falke

Ann-Kathrin Riedl: Since the very beginning, Dr. Martens has been the shoe for people who don’t conform but follow their own style and path. Your new film "How to Be Normal", which premiered at the 2025 Berlinale and has now opened in cinemas, is about just such a person – and in a way, I also see you as one of them. What was your first encounter with the brand?

Luisa Gaffron: I honestly wear Dr. Martens 300 days a year. I got my first pair when I was 16. And I still own the boots I wore in my role in “And Tomorrow the Entire World”.

And the only exceptions are the days you’re on the red carpet?

Even there, I’ve definitely worn Dr. Martens before. I think you can always carry your own story and personality into those spaces. It’s your perspective – how you approach things – that makes you special in the first place and sparks conversations. So why not take the Dr. Martens attitude onto the red carpet?

In what way is that a feeling that shapes your life – living outside of boxes?

It has a lot to do with how I grew up. I come from Vienna, a rather conservative city. I’m not from a working-class family, but I didn’t grow up wealthy either, unlike many people I went to school with. As a teenager, I often felt like I didn’t fully belong anywhere. It took time before I found people who really accepted and understood me. I think that feeling of not quite fitting in is something you carry with you throughout life.

Dress Avenir, Earrings Kasia Kucharska, Socks Falke

The search for what and who belongs to you can sometimes be a long one – a lifelong journey.

I think on that journey I’ve become very good at reading other people and making conscious decisions: what I want, and what I don’t want. Maybe you only find “your people” when you decide to truly stay with yourself. That might exclude some, but it opens the door to real connections.

The journey to oneself – that’s also what How to Be Normal is about. The protagonist, Pia, is coming homefrom a psychiatric clinic and tries to find her way back into everyday life. In what ways did you feel connected to her?

I have so much love for this character and her wildness and disruptive nature feels so dear to my heart. Of course, she’s someone who is mentally ill, who has bipolar disorder – which I don’t have. But what connects me to her is that she’s a young woman trying to cope in a world full of multiple crises. She’s not afraid to disrupt and the issues in the film, like the climate crisis, generational struggles, maintaining mental Health when all the worlds problems are just a click away, are things that also play a part in my life. And then the question the movie raises: how healthy can you really be in a sick system?

Have you found an answer to that?

To answer that, we have to tolerate a lot of ambiguity and simultaneity. In a system where people are busy worrying about existential things, it’s difficult to stay mentally healthy and prioritize compassion towards each other. And it’s hard to remain a positive vision about the future if you look at the state of the world right now. In my opinion, it’s about facing all these realities head-on and engaging with them, while at the same time also being kind and loving to one another. For that, we need to be careful where we place blame and judgment. It’s okay if someone enjoys a vacation, a break, a beautiful thing, even though the world is in crisis – as long as they’re not constantly closing their eyes to it.

Dress Sample 030

We are all so much more than what can be seen online.

Exactly. That’s the danger: people see one part of you and think they’ve figured it all out, but humans are far more complex. We need to allow ourselves to make mistakes – but also to change. If you believe in the possibility of social change, you have to believe in the possibility of personal change too.

Finding your own approach on social media – what do I share and what not, when do I speak out and when do I stay in the background – that’s pretty challenging.

Sometimes I question the idea of only showing the beautiful things of my life. But there is so much out there already, that most of the time I don’t want to fill the Internet with my struggles or my pain aswell, especially when it often feels so small compared to some of the stuff you can see going on in the world right now.

Also it’s though to make yourself so naked and vulnerable in front of so many people. I think we easily forget how many actual people a few thousand looks on you would be in analoge  life, if you’ve had a shitty week, you don’t sit down in a room full of strangers and spill your heart out. But on the Internet that, of course, creates a distortion – because people mostly see your happy moments.

Dress Kasia Kucharska, Rings Jojo Jewelry, Socks Falke

Jacket and skirt Odeeh, Rings Jojo Jewelry, Socks Falke

Full look Ottolinger

And yet, oversharing dark moments has also become something of a trend.

Yes, and I sometimes wonder: does it really make sense to reveal yourself so intimately? Does it actually help anyone, or is it overwhelming to watch? Is it honest, or is there calculation behind it?

I recently saw a video of a woman filming herself live during her therapy session. At first, of course, I was hooked, but then I thought: wait a minute – what am I even watching? Who would think to film in a moment like that? Vulnerability is perceived as authentic at first, but we’ve now reached a point where it is also used as a currency.

But where do we even find authenticity anymore?

That’s the tricky part. Showing people your life in all its facets, while still protecting yourself. Filming yourself crying during therapy feels like fake authenticity to me. The danger is that you’re already thinking about how others will perceive the moment while you’re still living it, which distorts how you experience it in the first place.

We’ve become so focused on the outside, on how others see us, that we hardly notice ourselves anymore. I think that’s especially hard if you grow up with social media – you don’t even know who you are without other people’s perceptions of you.

Yes, how are you supposed to find yourself in a world where everyone is constantly performing and you feel like you should do the same? Instagram Stories started it – the constant question: is this a sharable moment? We’re so used to taking the outside perspective that we barely notice the ongoing evaluation in our own heads. And you can’t undo that; you have to consciously make yourself aware of it and confront what it does to you.

What I admire about you is that when you step into the spotlight, you connect it to a bigger purpose. It’s not just self-presentation. It’s about drawing attention to something larger than yourself.

That’s my understanding of artistic work. It’s not that every artist leads a privileged life, but I do think it’s a privilege to be someone who can experiment, express, search for something – on behalf of society – and then give it back as an output. I know how much my courage to be who I am today was shaped by the culture I grew up in. That’s a huge responsibility. What we do as artists, we do for all of us.

That’s the art of art, so to speak – to reach us emotionally where the news only catches us rationally.

Exactly. Art is also about practicing empathy. Take Pia, for example: having someone with that kind of illness in your life is incredibly difficult. If you really know someone, you’re often so caught up in managing the consequences that you don’t reflect on the human connection. But the film allows you to empathize with such a situation without being directly affected. It’s like learning empathy from a safe distance.

Shirt and pants Kasia Kucharska, Rings Jojo Jewelry, Socks Falke

What I also find beautiful about "How to Be Normal" is how it questions the expectation that someone who doesn’t fit into the system should be fixed just enough to function again. How can we better accept that some people can’t – or don’t want to – fit in, with all the challenges but also the beauty in that?

That’s such a good question. When it comes to mental health, the focus is often just on getting people to heal and function again. But some conditions, like bipolar disorder, won’t go away – they will stay with a person for life. So the question is: how can we as a society create space for them? That’s something we need to deal with.

When I first went into therapy, I just focused on getting back to work again as quickly as possible, to keep going like before. It took me a while to understand that this time was really just about me – not about other people’s expectations.

Exactly. We’re all dealing with internalized capitalism, telling us we have to get back „to normal“ as quickly as possible. We need to hit a certain level to be “good enough” for others. But what if we realized we’re already enough as we are?

I can relate to that too. When I graduated from acting school, I wanted to constantly over-perform. But I crashed, because something was missing – me. It’s okay that we all need different things and work differently. What matters is doing a good job and creating sustainable value. That also means taking care of yourself. As young women especially, we often feel pressured to always be sweet and nice, but we should learn to say no and set boundaries. Perfection doesn’t help anyone. Trying to please everyone is nonsense.

You don’t owe anyone anything – that’s something for us to realize.

Yes, and coming to peace with that is probably one of life’s biggest lessons.

Jacket and pants Sample 030, Belt Liebskind, Socks Falke

Dress Sample 030, Socks Falke

Let’s circle back to authenticity. Today’s world offers so many possibilities for expression, yet so much looks the same. It seems like everyone just wants to stay in their comfort zone – on social media, on the runway, in culture in general. How can we revive the spirit of rebellion?

Many of the people we now call heroes were the ones who took paths no one else had taken before. We need to dare to be disruptive again, otherwise nothing new will ever
happen. And that means letting go of fear. Some people don’t speak out because they’re afraid of negativity. But you don’t have to please everyone. I’m happy if people leave my film and start a critical discussion – that’s the whole point. But wanting to be liked has become today’s currency.

You’ve also chosen to speak out on political issues and share your opinions publicly – knowing you might lose some chances because some saw you as too controversial. There’s always a price. But what kind of world would it be if no one was willing to pay it anymore?

I want to be able to live with the version of myself  i see when I look in the mirror and feel at home in the ways I use to express myself. For me, that includes speaking up and getting involved, as much as I can. Some people think they need to get to a certain point first before they can say something, as if to secure themselves. But it shouldn’t depend on that. You can stand up for something anytime, anywhere, in your own style.

I also think there’s a need to understand that we’re all starting from different points of knowledge and perspective. That means we also have to tolerate making mistakes. We’re not responsible for where our starting position in life is, but we can choose to grow from there. Society is always a process of negotiation. If we criticize people for how they were, for how they are, and also make it hard for them when they change – how are we ever supposed to move forward? And by the way, it’s not only negative feedback. A lot of people are supportive when you speak out. Many allies only become visible once you make yourself visible. Step forward, and they’ll find you.

The one who dares to do it first helps others.

Exactly. And we should have compassion for one another. I encourage everyone to be critical of the systems we live in but not loose your empathy and softness towards people.

That fits perfectly, since we shot together the most comfortable boot Dr. Martens has ever launched – no more painful breaking-in.

Still, I do have a tip: wear silk stockings first, then wool socks over them. No blisters that way.

I didn’t know that trick.

Told you – I’m a true Dr. Martens girl.

Knit Odeeh, Shirt and pants OOR Apparel, Belt Liebeskind

Jacket and pants Sample 030, Belt Liebeskind, Socks Falke

Both styles – the Zebzag Laceless Boot and the Zebzag Rigger Boot – are available starting today in stores and online at drmartens.com

Jacket and skirt Odeeh, Rings Jojo Jewelry, Socks Falke