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| Courtesy ALQO wasi |
Several trends emerging in the pet fashion industry will be on display at Pet Fashion Week New York in August, according to Alex Cach, fashion director and a partner in the trade show, and most follow people’s taste du jour.
Although most designers are still selling their fall lines in fall, some companies will release limited spring lines at fashion week, Cach says.
“This is a humongous change with the industry,” she said.
Although designers of human clothing lines release their items a season ahead—spring clothes on fall runways, for example—to give buyers ample time to place orders, this has not been the case in the pet industry.
“Part of it is driven by the [pet industry] buyers,” said Cach. “The issue with that is that the boutiques are still learning to drive sales … obviously the designers are doing what the buyers want.”
Other fashion trends to look for at the August event include more detail-oriented, layered pieces.
“Number one, people are looking for the layered look as in human fashion,” she said.
Designers are moving away from what was the basic construction of a dog coat, Velcro around the neck and chest, she said, and working instead with two and three piece options.
“Designers are looking more at the total appearance as they do in humans, including the fact that people are beginning to accessorize,” she said.
With a saturated market, it’s no longer enough to just make a pretty dog dress, she said. Everything is becoming “more elaborate, more embroidered,” she said.
As designers get to know the market better and what their clients want, the industry will see a continued narrowing of the field into specializations, added Cach. If you’re good at making down sweaters and bedding, you might not be best at making summer dresses, she summarizes.
By branding their products as No. 1 in its niche, designers can more clearly position it in the marketplace, she said.
As the industry becomes more refined, Cach says she’s also seeing a movement away from novelty items, such as holiday apparel that might clash with an owner’s outfit.
Lastly, but maybe most importantly, safety concerns are dictating design in some instances, said Cach.
“People are now considering that if they add a charm, they don’t do it in place where a dog can chew it or rip it off,” she said.
All of these trends closely follow the development of the baby fashion industry, Cach adds.
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