I’ll be honest, I’m quite overtly critical when it comes to weirdly designed shoes (Yeezy Sliders in particular), but the Monstera Mule by Unsent Studio is absolutely giving me joy!

Designed using the Monstera Deliciosa plant’s leaf as inspiration, the sliders come with a rather appealing form factor that looks like the leaf wrapped around your foot. Quite a different interpretation of the term ‘plant-based’ if you ask me!

Designer: Unsent Studio

The footwear is molded in a single piece, quite like Crocs and the Yeezy Sliders, making it durable and incredibly convenient to mass manufacture. You can even make them in different colors, and Unsent Studio’s even experimented with shades of green, sort of celebrating the fact that different plants have different colored leaves.

What’s so incredibly appealing about the shoe’s design is its commitment to staying true to the original. There’s enough artistic expression to appreciate here, but the beauty lies entirely in how the shoe mimics the plant rather wonderfully. You’ve got the stem (midrib), veins, and even a cellular texture that looks and feels like a leaf!

Sadly though, the Monstera Mule is conceptual for now, although with enough demand and attention, maybe Unsent Studio will consider doing some sort of launch or limited drop! Hit them up on Instagram if you’re interested.