Dogs are increasingly stealing the spotlight at fashion week shows, appearing on the laps of attendees from Louis Vuitton to Schiaparelli, according to a recent report. The trend highlights a shift in the industry's attitudes towards pets and their owners.
During the latest fashion week, which concluded on Tuesday, sightings included a cavapoo at Louis Vuitton and a shih tzu at Schiaparelli. At the Balenciaga show, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicole Peltz sat next to the brand's creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli's rescue dog, Miranda Priestly. Tommy Hilfiger took his post-show bow with a fluffy samoyed, while a miniature schnauzer in goggles and a chihuahua in a puffer jacket took over the catwalk at Chopova Lowena.
Dogs as fashion regulars
While Demi Moore's 1.2lb chihuahua Pilaf was once a regular guest at shows, and Prince Tokyo Gizmo Hilton made his front-row debut with Paris Hilton at a Gucci show, dogs on the laps of more regular guests are becoming more widespread. In July, Vogue ran a story on Poppy, a tiara-wearing shih tzu who has become a regular on the couture circuit.
Madeleine Rothery, a freelance fashion writer, has been bringing Disco, a five-year-old boston terrier, to fashion shows for the last two years. "People find her quite entertaining," Rothery says. "I think people can feel quite self-conscious and uptight at shows, and she just makes everyone feel at ease, loosen up a little and talk among each other, rather than be glued to their phones."
Dogs building their own communities
Prada, a five-year-old teacup pomchi who lives in London, has become a familiar face at shows over the past two years. "The street style photographers always call her name to look at the camera when we're heading into a show," says her owner, Tori West, the editor of Bricks magazine. "She's built her own fashion community, which is super cute."
Disco, who lives in Paris with Rothery, travels to Copenhagen each season. Rothery noted that in Paris, she has never dared take Disco to a show because most venues are cultural institutions where dogs would not be allowed. In Copenhagen, for one particular show in August, a security guard told Rothery that if she hid Disco, he would "turn a blind eye".
Support animals and industry change
Prada attends fashion week as West's registered support animal, helping to provide stability for West, who has anxiety. "I feel way more safe and comfortable having her with me at events than not," West says. At London fashion week, Prada joined West at every show, aside from two where West was warned the music would be too loud.
West says the increased visibility of dogs at fashion week suggests the industry may be reconsidering the wider needs of its guests. "It's such a busy, stressful schedule, and I think people who have children, carers, or assistance animals have historically been somewhat forgotten about in these hyper-controlled fashion environments," West says.
For Rothery, Disco's presence is a reminder of her life outside the fashion week bubble. "No matter how stressed or overwhelmed I start to get, I always have to walk her and tend to her," she says. "That just brings me back down to earth."
