Fashion designer Matthew Adams Dolan has collaborated with Southern Cross Pet Insurance to create a range of hi-vis garments for pets.
The VIS road safety collection is designed to help pets stay safe near the roads and also to raise awareness about pet road safety in New Zealand.
Dolan, who has designed for the likes of Rihanna, said he was inspired to take on the project by his dog Maisie.
“Anybody who has a pet, or even people without them, know that they’re such an important part of our lives. From my own experiences with my darling Maisie to my family’s experiences with their own pets, I think at the very base, our pets bring us all closer together.”
The collection, created using various type of reflective fabrics, features eight handmade couture garments and a ready-to-wear bandana range.
“This was the first time I’d ever made any type of pet clothes. The process of making a garment for a human and a dog, well, there are obviously a lot of differences. The shape of the body. The number of legs, for example.
“We’ve used a few different types of reflective fabric. There’s one that’s retro-reflective that casts off a similar kind of colour to the base. The second one had these really crazy iridescent, reflective fabrics that completely change into like a rainbow effect when the lights come on them.”
Dolan said that when initially discussing the project, it wasn’t just about fashion or comfort, there was an intention behind the whole range.
“There is this really big issue of road safety with pets. My job as a fashion designer is to be able to do something to create awareness around that. For me, that was the most exciting part.”
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