Uncommon’s Ratboot, a boot with stuffed rats, gets tails wagging at New York Fashion Week

Unless they’re dragging along slices of pizza, the rats of New York rarely enjoy any time in the spotlight. But that changed this week when Uncommon Creative Studio celebrated the city’s ubiquitous yet largely unseen (and unappreciated) rodent population with a one-of-a-kind fashion statement—the Ratboot. Ad Age Young Creatives Designed by the London agency’s recently opened New York office, the Ratboot is a black leather knee-high boot whose platform houses a taxidermied rat. A pair of the boots debuted at New York Fashion Week over the weekend, as model and “rat lover” Jenny Assaf wore them while sitting front row at The Blonds show. Not connected to any client work, the Ratboot came out of random conversations at the agency about rats, Nils Leonard, founder of Uncommon, told Ad Age. There are an estimated 3 million living in New York, alongside the 8 million humans. The Ratboot has been getting loads of media attention. After inspecting the boots, the New York Post opined that “one of the animals appeared to be peering out of its pen, black beady eyes glistening in the dark.” A security guard at the Blonds show added: “I don’t want to see that.” Others, however, really do want to see that. Ratboot got perhaps the broadest reach thanks to a video posted by Instagram creator @inmyseams that has gotten 117 million views and counting—within spitting distance of the number of people who watched the Super Bowl last weekend. A post shared by Janette Ok (@inmyseams) Leonard said Ratboot is evidence of the agency’s ideas that live in culture, whether created for a brand or not. “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,” he said. “The dirty amid the beautiful design. The icon hidden in the refuse.” In a nice design flourish, the sole of the Ratboot has an imprint of a rat alongside Uncommon’s eye logo. The boots will go up for auction in the coming weeks, with proceeds from the sale benefitting a charity called Mainly Rats Rescue, finds forever homes for rehabilitated rats.

Uncommon’s Ratboot, a boot with stuffed rats, gets tails wagging at New York Fashion Week

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