Thank you for visiting the Furry Couture shop page. Effective March 1st 2022 the shop is permanently closed. This website is merely a collection of fun memories and highlights that I want to preserve for myself after 5 years of operating the business. If you have any thoughts or shared memories you would like to add, please reach out.
I am immensely grateful to over 500 customers from the US, Canada, Europe, and even Australia, who supported my passion for making custom dog clothing. During the last 5 years I shipped more than 1,600 orders. Of course this would not have been possible without an amazing team of seamstresses who helped scale production and refined my designs. Also it would not have happened without many of my friends who helped me with kind words and advice, volunteered as models and photographers, taught me how to interact with customers, how to plan inventory, and so much more. And most importantly, all of this would not have even started without Luna - the inspiration for the brand and a full time dog model.
It all started when I got my first dog Luna-the-Samoyed, that became an inspiration for the brand and a full-time dog model for Furry Couture. Luna turned out to be a mud-seeking energizer-bunny. On a rainy day, she took no time to coat her fluffy snow-white legs and belly in dirt. Tired of washing her, I was determined to figure out a way to keep Luna clean while on walks. I've designed and created dog clothes that Luna felt comfortable to wear. I enjoyed making different outfits so much, I decided to turn this hobby into a small business. When I first opened the online store in March 2017 I couldn’t have imagined how fun, difficult, educational, and exhausting it would be to own a manufacturing & retail business!
These are just a few highlights that stuck with me.
My first real paid order came from a customer in Norway. Norway! I was checking the tracking number every day until the package arrived because I was terrified it would get lost.
In the first year I used curtains from Goodwill as prototyping fabric which made all mock-ups smell like an old granny. Two years later I caught myself loading the whole roll of new(!) muslin into my cart and it made me happy.
The original “Furry Couture” labels that I sewed on my first products were made by my mom. She sent me a box with 20 labels that she made using her embroidery machine. My first though when I received them was “I don’t need that many…”.
The first event that I attended as a business owner was called "Pug-O-Ween Game of Pugs featuring the Pugs of Westeros". I had a few tables set up and was selling a small collection of themed cloaks and dresses made specifically for pugs.
One lady from the UK ordered $2K+ worth of items and I spent the next month waking up and falling asleep at a sewing machine making stuff to fulfill the order. I was too embarrassed to tell her that my business was not equipped to handle volume.
I had a customer who ordered an outfit for a “4-year-old” and when I asked “what breed?” she said “human”.
The inspiration behind the "Squirrel Hunter" dog pants was Merlin - a well-known floofer who lives in WA state. My store went "from zero to one" after Merlin appeared in camo pants on his Instagram page and called them "Squirrel Hunter".
I've been writing all customer addresses by hand for 2 years until I accidentally discovered that it is possible to purchase a completely filled in shipping label via Etsy with just a few clicks. OMG!
I made a stegosaurus costume for a Saint Bernard. The idea was to cover the dog completely with an overall. The costume turned out to be huge but unfortunately it did not fit due to a design flaw. It was still a lot of fun to make!
In the early 2020 I made 4 yard signs advertising my website and handmade fabric face masks on it. One of the signs remained untouched for the whole year. I picked it up in 2021 and decided to keep it as a souvenir.
I temporarily switched from making dog clothing to fabric face masks using the dog-themed fabric when the pandemic started. That's how I met most of my neighbors for the first time. I could easily spot them later by the paw-printed face masks.
In 2018 Luna and I participated in a Halloween costume contest where we were both Harley Quinns. I did Luna's makeup with safe-for-dogs markers. I also made her carry a smaller version of the baseball bat as we were demonstrating our costumes in front of the judges.
"Pug-O-Ween Game of Pugs featuring the Pugs of Westeros"
Luna is a professional model.
The "Squirrel Hunter" magazine is not real, of course :).
Inspired by this sweet lab called Okami Cookie. The eye on the costume are actually ping-pong balls.
Promoting the new "Slush Pants" collection. Photo by Josh Yim.
One of Luna's favorite activities in winter.
Luna is demanding treats for her work while Okami in patiently waiting.
That bow tie is way to large for Radar, but that made him even more adorable.
Luna's boyfriend Okami is helping with modeling of an early version of the Zorb(c) Bath Robe.
I used a construction light to take a photo of Paisely in her new rain gear set.
G is showing off the XL size pants that she helped design.
I made it from an Amazon box and it could fit a small dog for a fashionable instagram photo.
The initial set of female doggy diapers in all sizes.
Can you tell she is a model?
An event organized by Dog Lounge for local Amazon employees.
Luna used to go there a lot in her early years, so naturally I dressed up some of the dogs there too.
Lexi the Eskie is on a cover of a magazine wearing a hooded rain jacket!
It was too hot to go out with it, so Luna participated remotely by posting a photo.
My favorite customer :)
My first attempt to use vinyl equipment on some pre-made bandanas
Luna got carried away demonstrating her digging skills while photoshooting with @jadfeel and @millen_di.
Bowser turned out to be a very patient pupper even after trying on a few outfits.
That photo was on a Christmas card in 2020.
Snickers is modeling for the smallest pants that I've ever made. Yes, they had optional handles.
Not every play date is a photoshoot. Sometimes it's just a play date with occasional photos taken.
Those eyes...
Peggy and her pawrents are having fun showcasing the new product of 2021.
Taking a snack break while photoshooting the new Leash Bag.
This was the first version of the matching rain jacket that made the set look complete. The set turned out to be way more popular than individual items.
Everywhere we go Luna gets attention.
These are the original track suit pants. The first product that started to be produced by someone else other than me.
Social media, especially Instagram, was an important marketing channel, so I tried different ways to attract attention to my account. LOL
This overall was made for a Samoyed in Australia who had a skin issue and needed a way to apply medication without spreading it all over the house.
Luna accompanied me to my day job and we would go hand out in this tiny dog park during lunch time.
This photo was on my first business card. After receiving them in the mail I realized I forgot to add my Etsy store info. Hahaha.
Luna and I are helping our friend Swell Gelato with a marketing campaign.
After resisting the idea of discounts for a long time I decided to start leveraging them on Valentine's Day.
Luna as a Harley Quinn for a Halloween costume content. Her shirt says "Daddy's lil monster". The makeup is made with dog-friendly markers and washed off during her next bath.
This is one of many early experimental products that ended up not selling. Oh, well...
After posting this ad on NextDoor I woke up to a completely sold-out inventory of fabric face masks for several days in a row.
Darby is trying on the "Low Rider" pants. The pattern for the "Low Rider" eventually evolved into "Size Small" aka "Eskie size", but I really liked that name for a while.
After a few unsuccessful attempts I figured out how to make a realistically looking shirt collar.
By then I had all the equipment to set up for such events including tables, clothing hangers, loading cart and containers. Easy!
Every detail is important when it comes to a wedding photoshoot, including the bow time that the dog is wearing.
Luna and I walked in circles around Green Lake to make her pants dirty and to demonstrate the product value. I used that photo for ads and flyers later.
I knitted that scarf in one day because I was bored and didn't want to get off the couch. I never posted this item as a product because after finishing it I realized I didn't want to do it again.