Wedding gowns, police uniforms and super hero outfits. The clothes aren't for people--they're for pets. A Beijing girl named Hu Xi has set up the country's first fashion studio for pets.
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Hu Xi spends her days designing and making new clothes for her six dogs, as well as catering for her eager clients both in and out of China. [The First] |
Most customers come looking for warm outfits to protect their pets from the biting Beijing winter. But others order evening wear or party outfits for social events.
As a designer, Hu finds inspiration anywhere from traditional Chinese clothing to western pop culture and even children's cartoons.
But her earliest inspiration came from her first dog Mimi, the muse and model for her first designs.
Hu Xi, Pet clothing designer, said, "On my 10th birthday my mum gave me a little dog, and from that day on I would give her fabric or my own clothes to wear. It was great fun. My dog would basically wear my clothes every day"
In recent years, pet ownership in China has increased. Demand for her tailored outfits has boomed. More customers favor the hand-made quality over mass produced clothes bought in stores. Pet owners enjoy dressing up their little darlings.
Zhang Mengyi, Regular Customer, said, "I think of them just like my own children. I want my friends to like them. I think ultimately them wearing clothes satisfies my own emotional needs."
Hu estimates that she has sold between 10 and 20-thousand items since she opened shop in 2000. She has even opened a small factory in the city's suburbs, where her designs are mass produced and sold both inside China and abroad.
Hu and her flock of colorful pups will surely go on living in style.
(CCTV.com June 17, 2009)
