OUR PET PROJECTS ARE MAKING US THOUSANDS!

We meet four women who were inspired by their furry friends to start a new business venture

- BECKY DICKINSON

‘It’s such a joy to spot a dog or cat wearing our designs’

Bee Friedmann, 60, and Amy Fleuriot-Reade, 37, launched Hiro + Wolf in 2013. They both live in Margate.

Bee says: Amy and I met while walking our dogs in the local park. It was love at first sniff between Hiro and Wolf, and we quickly became friends too. We had a shared passion for art and design, and had both noticed there was a gap in the market for a colourful, fun brand that like-minded cat and dog owners could enjoy dressing their pets in. So, with my background in events and retail, and Amy’s in design, we realised we had the skills to make some magic happen.

We began visiting pet boutiques, looking at different leads and collars. I came up with the idea of sourcing fabric from my home continent, Africa, and Amy worked on the design front. In 2013, we started selling our accessories in London’s Broadway Market – and continued to do so for the next three years.

Amy says: I had recently graduated from the London College of Fashion with a degree in accessories design, and we made our first collection of collars and leads from a studio in the corner of my houseshare. It took about a year to get from initial concept to actual products, because it took time to source and test materials. When you create products for people’s cats and dogs, you can’t risk a snapped leash or collar.