Can your dog or cat make a fashion statement?
Looking in your wardrobe is a daily event, we all do it whether we throw something on or deliberate for hours of what to wear. Each item has been carefully designed for us, for all occasions. Is this also a case for our furry friends? They have their warm furry coat, but can they make a fashion statement too? Looking at the tired pet bed in the corner of the room I had an idea!
With my passion and drive of combining the two, the love of fashion design and animals. I was inspired by our 14-year-old family dog Rio, a Patterdale/Lakeland terrier. Paw to Paw Pets was born! I felt there was a gap in the market for fashionable and stylish pet beds to suit the home and our pets. I have been working as a textile/fashion designer for over 20 years, designing accessories for the high street and online fashion retailers. From men’s ties, pocket squares to women’s hair accessories and scarves. Creating prints from seasonal trends and colours. As well as looking at ways to make fashion more sustainable for the high street, I also am a visiting lecturer at Winchester school of Art for the textiles department.
This gave me a perfect platform for starting up my own designer pet accessories and beds. Our pets can look just a stylish as us and don’t have to settle for the mundane. I did my research found that the dog and cat fashion trend dates all the way back to Egyptian pre dynastic period. Decorative collars were found in ancient tombs dating back from 1440 BC! Today pet fashion has made its mark on the catwalk.
As more and more of us own a pet and they are a cherished part of our family and Paw to Paw Pets was born. Fashion conscious design presenting paw prefect beds and accessories for our beloved pets. Watercolours out in my Hampshire studio, the designing began, I followed the trends I had been working on for us humans, creating hand designed unique patterns and using recycled fabric for the accessories. Our pets can have a touch of glamour too!
By Rebecca Bailey founder of Paw to Paw pets
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