We love our pets - sometimes so fiercely that we find ourselves overwhelmed by their fur-clad, doe-eyed innocence, suddenly weeping at the thought: how could anything be so perfect?
The reality is, they are often a total menace - but nothing could detract from the adoration we feel for these non-verbal little havoc-wreckers.
Fashion has long coveted ‘the pet.’ The accessory sector in particular, with designs including Thom Browne’s Hector bags, Simone Rocha’s black satin lapine crossbodies, Judith Lieber’s bejewelled feline clutches, Valentino’s cartoonish ragdoll bag charms, JW Anderson’s canary collectibles, Moschino’s mutton top handles and Stella McCartney’s poodle-graphic totes created in collaboration with Jeff Koons.
© ImaxtreeSome designers have gone one step further, giving the fad a performative twist by creating pieces that allow the wearer to ‘become’ the pet. Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY encourages consumers to metamorphosize into colourful, kitsch creatures via his ever-popular Chunky Ear Beanies. Similarly, Chopova Lowena debuted tiger-striped, ear-topped hoodies for spring/summer 2026. Jonathan Anderson followed suit, conjuring up his eponymous brand’s goldfish dress for the spring/summer 2023 runway. Area cloaked models in Dalmatian print for spring/summer 2024 (not real, don’t worry) while most recently, Matthieu Blazy's debut for Chanel championed poultry-inspired feathered headpieces. Indeed, we cherish our pets so deeply that we could live under their skin.
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© Imaxtree“Pet accessories are amazing because, as a pet owner, you spend so much time with your furry friends and naturally want to be aligned in your looks,” says fashion designer Samanta Virginio, who is planning a pet collection: “So many people have told me I’ve basically morphed into my puppy and vice versa. We understand each other and I know her needs now. I want her to be comfortable as much as I want to be comfortable myself.”
It seems almost paradoxical that fashion designers, intense perfectionists and arbiters of luxury taste, are infatuated with these furry comrades. Any pet owner will understand that, despite the sweetness of it all, taking care of an animal isn’t the most glamorous pastime. It’s a reality defined less by picture-perfect cuddles than by surprise poop explosions, regurgitated furballs and the occasional roll in something unspeakable. Not to mention the occasional chewed up Tabi boot that threatens immediate exile to the garden. Quelle horreur!
And yet, Karl Lagerfeld was never without his blue-cream Birman cat Choupette - the feline so fabled that Jared Leto donned a human-size Choupette costume for the 2023 Met Gala, titled Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. Rumours even arose that Lagerfeld left $1.3 million in his will reserved for her care and joked to CNN that he would marry her if he could. (She’s doing just fine by the way - according to Paris Hilton who told me “Choupette is living and sliving her best life” during our cover story interview.)
Liekwise, Marc Jacobs rarely travels without his bull terrier, Neville - whether striding into his New York HQ or jetting abroad via private plane. The Instagram-famous pup, who has garnered 170,000 devoted followers, has been photographed in the arms of stars including Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner, Stella Maxwell, Christy Turlington, and Sofia Coppola, helping to debunk the Oliver Twist-induced myth that bull terriers are an undesirable, aggressive breed.
So, why is it that fashion people specifically are so completely obsessed with their pets? “Knowing the love I have for my pets, it doesn’t surprise me that fashion has also fallen in love,” says Maddy Reid, deputy editor of BRICKS. “Animals garner an automatic emotional response from any pet lover, and are associated with affection, loyalty, and softness. I think we see this with Choupette best, as she softened Karl Lagerfeld’s famously icy demeanour.”
She continues: “Pets feel nostalgic; most young people are more likely to have had a pet in childhood than they do in young adulthood, and we know how much fashion loves tapping into 2000s and 2010s nostalgia and ‘girlhood’ right now. I also think that when it comes to Thom Browne and even JW Anderson’s animal-themed bags, the animal shapes are a kind of absurd luxury status symbol; they feel camp and non-functional, which adds to their luxury allure.”
“As a wired dachshund owner I understand the obsession, but I think it’s because [pets] genuinely make people happy,” says Longchamp PR Holly Willems. “At Longchamp, we bought out dog keyrings - they did so well. Anything I can have on me that reminds me of my dog I love. I also think dog owners are willing to spend a lot more money on accessories for their dogs now, which also double up as accessories for themselves.”
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© Stella McCartneyThe commercial appeal of pets is undeniable. Recently, Phoebe Philo unveiled her latest campaign, Collection D., featuring a large, shaggy crossbreed. Gucci’s 2022 pet collection showcased miniature dachshunds, pomeranians, chihuahuas, basset hounds, and kittens lounging on monogrammed pet carriers and herbarium-printed sofas, with pieces priced upwards of £2,000. The appetite for luxury pet products is clearly strong, and designer houses are capitalising on it with gusto.
Stylist and eBay preloved style director Amy Bannerman just welcomed her new puppy - and is already astonished by the sheer range of luxury goods designed for pets: “It’s a whole new world of accessories, poo bags and leads. I thought ‘I could go to town on this,’ but I’ve got to rein it in. Maybe that’s part of it because you can accessorise your pets - you can really go in on how you style your dog as well as yourself.”
Speaking of reining it in, horses hold a particularly special place in fashion's heart. Houses including Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Hermès (which originated as a high-quality harness and bridle workshop for the equestrian elite), Stella McCartney and Chanel have gleaned inspiration from equine aesthetics, spanning celebrity-studded campaigns to Horsebit loafers to brilliantly bizarre horse head bodices courtesy of Collina Strada and Kim Petras. The pony girl's enduring relationship with fashion truly warrants an article of its own.
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© Getty"Our horses give my day structure in a very real way," says writer and Ascot aficionado Flora Gibbs. "You can't lounge in bed even if you feel like rubbish because they’re waiting for you-to be fed, checked, and looked after. It takes you out of your own head because their needs come first. Horses don’t care what you look like or if you're not feeling your best so long as you show up for them, that is all that matters. Nothing needs to be perfect, and that contrast is quietly grounding."
Unlike other pets, horses require competition-specific grooming - an arena where owners can style their stallions, provided it stays within the rules. "You prep a horse much like you would yourself," Flora continues. "My horse even has foundation for her face and moisturiser for her coat! I stick to browns and blacks for the tack because it’s timeless and keeps the focus on the horse."
© @tikatheiggyFashion is all about self-expression, and styling your pet is another way to exercise your creativity as an owner. No other precious pooch encapsulates this quite like Tika The Iggy - the internet’s canine darling famously dubbed “The Anna Wintour of Dogs” by The Dogist. The Italian Greyhound, who sadly passed away in November, was a fully-flung fashion icon, a fact that her 1.6 million Instagram followers and published autobiography attest to.
"I think the reason the account has been so successful is because it wasn't planned," says Tika's owner Thomas. "I poured my creative side into taking photos, making videos, creating outfits and working with designers. By doing that and really putting fun first, people fell in love with her."
The Canadian creative continues: "I see myself in designers where their runways show the most beautiful stuff and then the designer comes out in a T-shirt and jeans. I feel like that's very true to me. If you look at someone like Paris Hilton, who is like a fashion icon herself, that bleeds into her pets. Tika and Kala as my muses."
While her CV spanned Paris and Milan Fashion Week appearances, plus starring in campaigns for luxury fashion houses like BOSS and Dolce & Gabbana (alongside being BFFS with Lizzo, Tom Daley and Drew Barrymore), Tika, and her younger sister Kala (also an Italian Greyhound) remain loud and proud advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, just like their owners.
"Being visible as gay parents online, you get hate messages and ignorant comments - so standing up for that and then standing up for others in our community has been important for us. With fashion, I relate [Tika] to a gay icon, like Cher, Madonna or Lady Gaga. We use the costumes and the couture to give her a platform and from there we're able to spread hopeful and positive messages."
The idea that pets are both distinct characters in their own right, and subtle reflections of their owners, is one we all recognise. “For all of the creatives I’ve spoken to, who love their ‘lil pets, animals represent an extension of themselves that they often neglect that has nothing to do with ambition, networking and professional achievements,” says fashion designer and Chihuahua mum Anika Leila. “They are vessels to pour everything into emotionally and in turn, they help us perceive life in a unique way.”
© ImaxtreePets also allow those who work in the ever-chaotic fashion world to catch their breath. “Some people say he slows me down but I think that’s the point!” Anika adds. “He has slowed me down just enough for things to actually have time to fall into place.”
Perhaps this is the true kernel of fashion’s pet obsession. An industry built on self-expression is, by nature, a selfish one. It’s easy to be seduced by the glittering aesthetics, but pets have a way of pulling us back down to earth. When the kitsch appeal and nostalgic fantasy inevitably fade, as anyone fluent in the trend cycle knows they will, what remains are these small, grounding presences that demand practicality over Prada - a reminder to throw on a tracksuit, step outside, and attend to something other than our wardrobes.
© WireImage“Working in such a fast-paced, high-pressure industry, having a cat has genuinely changed the way I decompress,” says Stephen Lawton and founder of 223 The Agency. “Managing a small agency often means very long days, and coming home to his little collar bell and soft meows as he runs over for a cuddle instantly grounds me. I didn’t expect having a pet to reduce stress as much as it has, but his calm presence really helps quiet my mind and put things into perspective."
Therein lies the power of the pet. Pets offer both a looking glass into and an escape from fashion - an irony, given that the industry itself is built on the premise of escapism. Our pets eagerly await our return home from work - ready to brighten our day regardless of whether we can pronounce Ann Demeulemeester correctly or detail the inner workings of an Issey Miyake pleat. An adorable, essential reminder that sometimes there is - deep breath - more to life than shoes.
