New Yorkers are used to running into rats: in the subway terminal or scrounging for scraps behind your favorite restaurant (never forget Pizza Rat). But at a fashion show? That might just be a first.
Alas, only in New York. The now-viral Ratboot upstaged the clothes at The Blonds NYFW runway show last week, when model and rat lover Jenny Assaf wore the custom boots sitting front row. The over-the-knee combat stompers feature platform cages containing, yes, taxidermied rats.
Created by newly opened Uncommon Creative Studio, the boots are, “an ode to all things classic, gritty, real, and raw New York.” They will be auctioned off in the coming weeks. Proceeds will benefit Mainly Rats Rescue, a nonprofit that finds homes for rehabilitated rats. “8.3 million people. 3 million rats,” reads the Ratboot site, adding that no rats were harmed making the boots.
“As a creative studio, we always love to hold up a mirror to the culture we play in. RATBOOT is a beautiful symbol of that mix. The dirty amid the beautiful design. The icon hidden in the refuse.” —Nils Leonard, Uncommon Creative Studio
If the creators were out to drum up attention for the sale, they nailed it. Instagrammer @inmyseams posted a clip from the behind-the-scenes street shoot, and the video has now surpassed 115 million views. Take that Taylor Swift.
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The internet had a lot to say about it…
