Pooches strut the catwalk
2008-08-26 16:08
New York - It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling?
That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan recently, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity.
At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners.
"I've always loved dressing up dolls and Barbies, and I wanted to take it into something else that I loved, and I love pets," pet-fashion designer Kameron Westcott from Dallas told AFP as her Yorkshire terrier peeked out of a canine carry bag designed by luxury fashion giant Louis Vuitton.
Pet Fashion Week a success
These dogs are having their day. All five floors of an exhibition centre in southern Manhattan were crammed with dozens of stands marketing a range of pet beauty products and clothes.
Palatial doghouses on offer stood covered in lush drapes and filled with cushions bearing Swarovski jewels (price: $9 000 to $15 000) and other jewellery.
Such green items ranged from cardigans knitted out of Andean alpaca wool to a line of bamboo-only products by Pet Duti, a brand that offers items aimed at easing the unfashionable modern-day necessity of cleaning up after one's dog outside.
Pet Fashion Week proved to be a runaway success.
The show's stars came out amid an elaborate and ominous backdrop of oil drums and abandoned Jerri cans meant to evoke the "scary situation" reflected by today's energy crisis, according to organisers.
Spending on pets has increased
Bulldogs paraded out wearing tight wool knits, and elegant Afghans sauntered by clad in "Hermes", all led by human fashion models as sumptuously outfitted as their four-legged friends.
Swedish designer Tania Fylking, seeking a new outlet for her flair for fashion, made the trip to New York at the suggestion of a friend.
"I flew from Stockholm and I do not regret [it], I hope to find an agent for my brand," said Fylking, who specialises in producing exotic leather goods favoured by several Hollywood celebrities for their pets.
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63% of American homes - some 71 million households - have pets. They include 88 million cats, 75 million dogs, 142 million goldfish and 13 million reptiles.
Spending on pets rose in 2007 to $40bn, compared with $28.5bn in 2001, including $17bn spent on food, $11bn on veterinary care, $10bn dollars on medicines and $3.9bn on pet toys, clothing and "dog-sitters".