IT’S THE DECADE OF THE DOG
Cute dogs are the celebrity of the day. It’s my job to amplify their cuteness. This holiday season is all about glistening jewel tones and reflective light. While the fabrics are opulent, the designs lean toward minimalism and flexibility, inviting the dog to shine through. Skirts detach. Hoodies go under dresses or are worn alone. Vests made from thin jewel-covered lace close with close with metal teeth zippers and martingale chains, the seaming giving the fabric its strength. My goal: maximum impact with minimal fabric.
THE TRENDS
Treating pets like people is a trend that continues to accelerate, especially as millennials become increasingly important as pet owners and as small dogs grow in popularity. And it’s a good thing, because not only do our pets add joy to our lives, according to the U.S. Public health service, they improve our physical, mental and emotional health. Pet owners are seeking out higher quality foods, more high-end accessories and more expensive medical treatments. Largely gone are the days of “outside dogs” that just “see to themselves.” Business recognizes this. The human and pet bond continues as a major marketing theme. Pet companies understand that the love humans have for their pets is a driving factor in their spending and in their lives.
DESIGNING FOR DOGS
Historically, we’ve dressed our dogs as our children. My choice is to dress them as we dress ourselves.
In begin each collection the same way I began designing human lines when I worked for Albert Nipon and Christian Dior. Inspiration comes first. You put your ear to the ground to feel the pulse of society — what people want, what they need, what they fear. Today’s complexities grow out of technologies thrust upon us with no evolutionary time to adjust.
We have an entire generation growing into their own who have known nothing but a computerized world. They think with a logic that grew out of that. Millennials are informed, with a culturally inclusive world view. They like to express themselves and they like to do good. That buts up against an established world based on financial success and social traditions. The establishment desperately wants things to stay as they are. But “as they are” isn’t working. Anger and rebellion fill the streets as people find their voice.
As Charles Dickens once said of a different worlds in a different time, it is the best of times and the worst of times.We yearn for freedom yet demand safety at all cost. We scream for independence, then give it away every time we tell a mobile app our location. We want to be heard, but we’re too busy to speak out.
There’s a powerful energy in all that. For me it inspires the lace warrior. The light and airy glistening jewel. It inspires the hope that integrity will once again become fashionable. That quality, generosity and kindness will one day be the measure of a person. Change is chaotic, but beauty can grow out of it. Bold yet delicate beauty, where form meets function and power rises within.
