'Prada' and 'Chanel' outfits at dog boutique – Kent Online

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Published: 05:00, 01 June 2022
 | Updated: 15:56, 01 June 2022
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An entrepreneur has struck up a fur-enzy with her luxury dog boutique offering canine takes on major fashion labels.
Lauren Knight has been drumming up dogged support with her business offering ‘Louis Vuitton’, ‘Prada’ and ‘Christian Dior’ for pups.
Products include a ‘Versace’ hoodie for £21.99 and ‘Gucci’ jacket priced at £25.99.
The 21-year-old came up with the idea of canine clothesline Ro & Friends sitting in bed with her partner Ryan.
“I had always wanted to run a business myself; I have dealt with anxiety and it feels much more natural to run it myself rather than be in a big office or space with crowds of other people all the time,” she explained.
“We had our one dog at that point, and the idea suddenly just clicked and seemed the perfect fit.”
The business has gone from strength to strength since, moving premises twice to its current home at Highpoint Business Village on the Henwood Industrial Estate.
Owners keen to kit out their canine companions can find jumpers, bags, pyjamas and more emblazoned with famous names including ‘Balenciaga’, ‘Adidas’, ‘Chanel’ and more.
Ms Knight, who lives in the Repton Park area, runs the store day-to-day, while her partner helps after his shifts at the post office.
“When we moved into our first small space, we outgrew it within four months, which was amazing,” she said.
“We started off just doing clothes but we’ve been able to expand our product base to include beds, toys, treats and a lot more now.”
Joined at work every day by her faithful assistants Milo, Mimi and latest addition Bunny, the former Canterbury College student has been able to learn a lot about what her customers are looking for.
“We primarily do smaller dogs, but we do get owners of larger ones enquiring whether or not we have a certain piece in their dogs size,” she explained.
“Sometimes we do – our coats and gilets go up to what I would say is roughly a Labrador’s size – but there is much more of a market for smaller dogs.
“It’s not just because of fashion, it’s also practicality; in the winter months small dogs feel the cold a lot more, they can be shivering the minute they step outside.”
One pup who has been spotted wearing fashion gear – albeit from a different supplier – is Cranbrook’s own TV star Puggy Smalls.
The pug, dubbed Europe’s most famous internet dog, has more than a million followers across social media.
You can watch an interview with him and his owner Nick Ettridge below:
A post shared by KentOnline (@kent_online)
But he is not the county’s only furry friend on the small screen, with Snodland’s border collie Echo hitting the big time starring as Nellie Nelson in Netflix’s Heartstopper.
To view Ro & Friends’ range of products, click here.

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