Pet Fashion: Is it for our benefit or theirs?

Pet Fashion: Is it for our benefit or theirs?

Fashion and functionality are often in question in our world. With a continuing trend moving towards clothing that’s better for the environment, lasting longer and healthier all round, the pet industry controversially is seeing a movement that continues to rise for ‘fashion items’.

We’ve all splurged on our pets. There’s no point in trying to deny this. But where does the line get drawn?

Pet ‘garments’ have their place. Working animals often require specific harnesses and coats so they can do their jobs effectively. Similarly in the world of recreational activities, those who take their pets away climbing, hiking, canoeing and everything else in between, have garments to keep their animals warm and more importantly safe.

But, where does ‘fashion’ come in?

When we’re using the term fashion, we’re suggesting diamonte collars, feathery materials, hats, masks, bowties and anything else that is anthropomorphising an animal rather than being beneficial to the pet.

Think about a onesie for a pet. It doesn’t allow the animal to even function as itself because it needs someone to take it off to allow it to go to the bathroom. If that were a human, it would be violating their human rights. So why is this different for an animal?

As this boom in pet fashion continues increasing and more money is being fed into this part of the industry, cheaper materials are being used. This causes another problem; these cheap materials aren’t healthy for animals to wear. If they happen to chew on it when you’re not looking, there are problems there, but most importantly these materials don’t allow an animal’s body to be natural. If it’s a fast-fashion raincoat, it’s going to be highly plastic and not allow their bodies to breathe, vs, a purpose-built coat that has the correct layers to keep an animal cool whilst dry.

We must also consider the environment and social impact as this produces the same problems as fast fashion. There’s a contribution to landfill because they're unrecyclable and don’t last as long, factory workers welfare lessen to produce garments so cheaply and it depletes resources for producing something that isn’t made for longevity.

A pet is still an animal, and an animal has certain needs along with deserving respect and requiring a level of welfare. An animal doesn’t get to choose whether an item of fashion is put on it, nor can it easily express when it gets too hot, itchy or irritated by said item. It shouldn’t be that we are able to purchase items that can make fun of our animals. By putting things on them that are for humans, no matter how ‘cute’, that animal loses their dignity- not to mention their comfort. We ask our animals to respect us so we can have a positive relationship with them, yet ‘pet fashion’ then takes this respect away.

If we truly love our animals, we would choose to dress them in what is appropriate for the current climate, what they need to stay safe and not try to humanise them for the benefit of a 'cute' photo.