Forget the Big Red Boots, Imran Potato’s Rat Slides Are This Year’s Silliest Shoes

This article was first published on November 9, 2023.

Update November 22, 2023: Imran Potato’s ’Rat Feet’ enjoyed quite the viral moment a couple of weeks ago, but they’ve since been brought to life. The life-like sneakers have just dropped on the designer’s site, so if you’ve been waiting for a pair (hey, no judgment here) then now’s your chance. Retailing at $75, you can cop them now at imranpotato.com.

From MSCHF’s Big Red Boots to Shrek x Crocs, this year has been full of scroll-stopping footwear styles, which means OGs like Imran Potato have been left with something to prove. The designer, who has collaborated with Vans, is known for his bootleg takes on luxury products, but reached a new level of notoriety when he dropped his human feet-style slip-ons at the start of 2023. Now he’s back with an even more outrageous concept: the Rat Slides.

Much like his Caveman Slippers, the new pair is designed to look as realistic as possible. No detail has been spared here - the rubber rats feature eyes, ears, paws and even a long tail, as well as textured uppers that mimic the animal’s furry coat.

Shared to the Gram without any further info or comments, the Rat Slides whipped up quite the frenzy on social media. Without Potato giving the pair an official name, users also threw around a few alternatives - the Takashi 69s, Ratatouille 1s and Air Rodents all seemed to be favourites.

At this point, it’s unclear whether Potato is just using these to make a comment about his resident city’s rat problem, or whether they will go into production. What is evident though, is that we can expect the goofy footwear trend to continue for some time yet.

In more silly footwear news, Crocs has teamed up with McDonald's.