Fashion and fur has long parted ways, but being furry is still stylish.
It seems that fashion brands are fascinated by animals – or rather, pets, and this is seen in the various collections released. It is very much a burgeoning trend in the industry.
For example, Shein recently launched a range of clothes and accessories for hamsters. Yes, you read that right. Not a joke!
The Chinese fast fashion retailer is now selling items like sunglasses, hats and sweaters for these tiny critters.
It needs to be pointed out that Shein has long had a collection for dogs and cats. Fashion items for pet chickens and lizards occasionally pop up on the brand’s site too.
Read more: Big trend, tiny clothes? Fashion brand launches a collection for hamsters
The extensive collection for hamsters is new though, and social media users seem to be baffled (if not fascinated) by it.
Luxury fashion houses are also targetting pet owners. Last year, Gucci launched its first line of pet clothing, accessories and home goods.
About the same time, Celine launched its range of accessories for dogs. The campaign featured Hedi Slimane’s dog, Elvis, carried by K-pop superstar, Lisa of Blackpink.
Slimane is the creative director of Celine. It is said that he first designed the items for his dog’s use.
Other luxury brands like Fendi, Hermes, Thom Browne and Tiffany & Co. have also released pet collections.
However, Elvis is not the only famous pet in the fashion industry. Choupette is probably the most talked about – by virtue of her being the cat of Karl Lagerfeld.
It was rumoured in 2019 that the late designer bequeathed Choupette millions of dollars upon his death.
The cat’s fame is still going strong. The 2023 Met Gala in New York, which had a Karl Lagerfeld theme, saw a few celebrity guests paying tribute to her. Actor Jared Leto even dressed as Choupette.
When designer Alexander McQueen died in 2010, he left £50,000 (approximately RM283,000) to each of his pet dogs – Juice, Minter and Callum.
Read more: Are pets becoming fashion icons? Luxury petwear is on the rise
Marc Jacobs’ dog, Neville, is also a star. The bull terrier has been photographed with the designer numerous times and even stars in fashion campaigns for the Marc Jacobs brand.
Donatella Versace’s pet dog, Audrey, became the face of the fashion house’s capsule collection in 2018. It was in conjunction with the Lunar New Year collection celebrating the Year of the Dog.
Choupette, Neville and Audrey all have their own Instagram pages. It shows that they are not seen as just pets for their owners, and instead, family.
Whether a cat or dog – or chicken, lizard and hamster, brands are happy to include them as part of their customer base.
While the use of real fur is frowned upon in fashion, having a furry friend is nevertheless, a welcomed trend.
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