‘Rage bait’ or good design? The Row’s £600 sliders are an exquisite provocation

The foam footwear is selling fast at the high-end store in London but the price remains controversial

Rounded, cushioned and with a thick strap, foam sliders have been a familiar sight on feet this summer. While they are available for £30 from Adidas or £3.49 on the online marketplace Temu, a high-fashion version is now also on offer. The Ama sliders, in a choice of black, red or white, were launched by the American fashion brand The Row this week. They cost £600.

Laura Reilly, the writer of the influential fashion newsletter Magasin, called them “The Row’s latest rage bait”, using the name for posts online designed to provoke anger, and go viral in the process.