We meet four women who were inspired by their furry friends to start a new business venture
WORDS: BECKY DICKINSON. PHOTOS: BEN BROOMFIELD (@PHOTOBENPHOTO), ANNA REINBOLD
Real life you’ll never believe it
‘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. Bee says: I had a friend who managed an interiors shop and owned a sausage dog. He came on board with our vision for Hiro + Wolf and organised a window takeover and launch night. The turnout was amazing, and gave us our first experience of the power and kindness of the canine community. It really helped us break into retail selling. Amy says: Finding people to help make our products was a big leap. We are proud to manufacture all our products in the UK, but skills are scarce and it took a long time to find the right people.
It gives me so much joy to spot a dog or cat wearing our designs. We recently launched a vegan-friendly collection and I’m continually looking at how to make our designs as environmentally friendly as possible, moving to organic cotton, recycled materials and leather alternatives.
BUSINESS BREAKDOWN
✣ Initial purchase of materials: £3,000
✣ Marketing: £1,000
✣ Studio rent for six months:
£3,000
✣ Market stall: £1,200
✣ Digital camera and editing s
