Lady Gaga’s pup, Asia, is a pet style icon on Instagram. In fact, earlier this year, in May, Gaga announced a pet fashion line, inspired by her pooch. The French bulldog, affectionately called BatPig, also modelled for Coach’s line of handbags in June.
Choupette, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, lives the Chanel life, chronicled on @choupettesdiary on Instagram.
Marc Jacob’s bull terrier, Neville, spends his days looking more fashionably dressed than most men we might know in real life.
And leave it to Paris Hilton to dress up her puppy in a sparkly pink dress.
Apart from celebrity pets, a Himalayan cat, styled as Luna the Fashion Kitty, has over 1.5 million fans on a Facebook page, where her outfits are shared each day.
You’ve seen cute little puppies in sporty sweatshirts and cats haughtily sporting dapper bow-ties. They wear cowboy hats, cravats, aviators and pearl necklaces with panache and ease. New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania hosted the 11th Annual New York Pet Fashion show in March, and it was a fabulous display of haute couture for humans, their dogs, cats and even birds.
Inspired by these celebrity pets, fashion for animals has been growing in India.
From basic T-shirts to hoodies, websites like Petriot cater to animal lovers who want their four-legged friends to look their best.
Founded by Pinank Shah, along with Shachi Mehta and Shruti Arolkar, the brand offers customised clothing and accessories for pets.
The collection includes beds, blazers, jackets, bows, collars, ties, shirts and frocks. One of their more unique ideas is pet couture, where the collection is featured in the form of a look book.
The designs are quite sophisticated, with clean cuts, ruffles and bright colours.
The clothes are designed by Shachi, while Shruti takes care of product management and operations.
Pinank, who heads brand design and technology, says, “There’s a lot of thought that has to go into making these clothes. We had to find the right kind of fabrics that are comfortable for the pets, and also design them in a way that can be slipped on to the animal easily.”
“With pets being a big part of people’s lives now, they want them to be included in any big celebration like weddings. While everyone is dressed to the nines, they do not want to leave out the animals. That’s why we decided to offer sherwanis, jackets and lehengas. These are not off-the-rack, but are customised,” says Pinank, adding that he was quite surprised by the positive response that they got for these outfits.
Petriot has a size chart, and clients can pick the size and design they want. Once it’s done, the outfits are shipped.
While the prices are quite high — a sherwani can cost up to Rs. 3,500 — pet parents are willing to shell out money to have their fur babies looking as stylish as possible.
Online store Heads Up For Tails also has a customised section, featuring tutus, tuxedos and sherwanis (replete with shawls) for dogs.
Sites like DogSpot.in have shoes and boots, and raincoats for dogs.
At PetsGoNuts.com, shop for stylish anti-skid socks, vests and LED collars for both cats and dogs.
You can also get customised beds and baskets for your pet — but be prepared to watch them ignore it and sleep in the box it arrived in.
For the playful feline, Etsy has a feline yoga mat, for scratching, stretching and playing; a rope is attached with a catnip-filled ball.
So get your pet ready for the cat — or dog — walk. New York’s next pet fashion show is scheduled for February next year.
The participants might just be the next supermodel of the pet world.
Things to remember while dressing your pet
Clothes are not just an accessory, but are sometimes essential for pets.
A raincoat and boots for your pooch will help keep away the “wet dog” smell this rainy season.
In chillier weather, keep your short-haired pets from shivering by investing in a warm sweater or jumper.
Cooling jackets will make summer bearable for animals that are not indigenous to the country.
Ensure that the pet is comfortable — outfits shouldn’t be too tight and constrict their movement or too loose and trip them up.
If you want to dress them up for a special occasion, get the outfit in advance and have them try it on several times so that they get used to it.
