AUSTRALIAN DOG LOVER
BOURKE ST. THE LABEL WINS PET ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR AT SHE-COM AWARDS
Canine Couture: Bourke St The Label is taking fashion from the catwalk to the dog walk
As a successful model for over a decade, Sarah Macleod, found that when it came to buying accessories for her pet Pomeranian, Chilli, there was a huge style gap in the pet accessory market.
Macleod was looking for contemporary leads and collars with an element of consideration and sophistication, something that would complement her own wardrobe when she took Chilli for a walk.
She may be a devoted “dog mum” but Macleod is also a fashion-industry insider who is used to accessorising her looks with contemporary, design-driven pieces.
She may be a devoted “dog mum” but Macleod is also a fashion-industry insider who is used to accessorising her looks with contemporary, design-driven pieces.
When the Covid-19 pandemic closed the Australian fashion industry down, Macleod finally had the time to devote to designing her own fashion fur-ward dog accessory collection and Bourke St the Label was born.
The debut Bourke St collection takes its cues from Melbourne’s cultural scene including the laneway lifestyle and the city’s street art.
Bourke St’s award-nominated circular handle design was inspired by the distinctive curves of Melbourne buildings from the 1800s including the arches of the State Library and Royal Exhibition Building as well as the iconic Flinders Street Station dome. The range features timeless dog leads, collars and waste-bag holders designed to match a range of classic Melbourne looks.
“I felt that there was a distinct lack of design-driven, contemporary accessories when it came to the pet space,” Macleod says.
“Above all, dog leads and collars need to be safe and functional, however there’s no reason you can’t also incorporate an element of luxury and sophistication – it’s a balance of both form and function. I wanted to design a pet accessories range with as much consideration as designers put into the accessories, I would wear at a fashion show.”
The pandemic also provided Macleod with a huge rise in potential customers as people rushed to adopt “pandemic puppies”, furry friends to help them cope with the seemingly endless round of lockdowns.
Dog ownership in Australia has boomed over the past few years with Animal Medicines Australia estimating that 69 per cent of households currently have a pet with dogs being the most common (50 per cent). Pre-pandemic the RSPCA recorded that Australians spent over $13 billion annually on pet services and products and dog owners spent the most with an estimated $1,627 spent per dog each year.
At just two months old, Bourke St the Label is poised to take advantage of this growing market.
The brand is already making waves with interest from major retailers, and it was recently announced as the winner for ‘Pet Accessory of the Year’ and came third overall across all categories of ‘Product of the Year’ (including women’s, kids, baby, men’s, pet, food & beverages, home) at the SHE-com awards held in Brisbane, honouring female excellence in business.
“It was a great experience designing my first collection with Chilli at my side - as my little muse!” says Macleod.
“It was a great experience designing my first collection with Chilli at my side - as my little muse!” says Macleod.
“It was also really important to me that the collection was made for animals and not from, so as a brand we utilise vegan leather in all our products – there are some really exciting developments in the vegan leather space, and we are looking forward to debuting some of these in future ranges.”
The Bourke St “Signature” lead boasts the company’s registered padded circular handle design and is exclusively designed in Melbourne ($169). The Bourke St collars come in Black, Rose and Cream and are made from vegan leather ($59-$79) with matching waste bags ($89). The Bourke St Bridal Dog Lead Set features the “Signature” lead with added modern bow and waste bag in white for that special day ($289).
You can follow the brand on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bourkest.thelabel and on Instagram @bourkestthelabel
Read the full article here.
Read the full article here.
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