Pawfume

 The Italian luxury fashion house [Dolce & Gabbana] has identified a new market: dogs.

For £85, owners can spray their best friend with Fefe, a scent developed by the master perfumier Emilie Bevierre-Coppermann. It is the first time a big fashion brand has diversified into dog perfume.

Prize Winning Sheep Dog
Joseph Hardman (1893-1972)
Photo Credit: Lakeland Arts [CC BY-NC-ND]

D&G describes the scent - a blend of ylang-ylang and sandalwood named after Domenico Dolce's dog - as "an olfactory masterpiece".

A vet dismissed it as a waste of money. Fabian Rivers, a welfare ambassador for the RSPCA said that most dog toiletries were "lowbrow products" costing less than £15, though Aesop sells a shampoo in the US for $43 (£33).

"The fact that they're coming into this market at such a high price is an interesting way of having people spend their money on things that have very little merit, " Rivers said...

The designers consulted vets, animal behaviour specialists and dog owners... It said the scent was approved by vets, enjoyed by dogs and safety tested.

Humbler brands already offer pet shampoo, balsams, perfumes and deodorants. The pet economy is estimated by Bloomberg to be worth $320 billion a year worldwide, with the potential to reach $500 billion by 2030 as owners buy luxury apparel, carriers and toys.

Dolce said that pet ownership had evolved since he was growing up in Sicily. "[Dogs] are no longer animals: they are companions, therapists. Especially in this era of cold technological things - cellphones, social media - the love of a dog is a real cure."

He said Fefe was a creature of habit who loved going out for "a walk", which involved being carried in a bag. The animal has already made himself useful on the business side, conferring his name on an $895 leather handbag...

(Philip Willan and Jack Malvern, The Times, 2024)

Why stop at dogs? Wouldn't cats, canaries, hamsters and perhaps even goldfish relish new olfactory experiences? And, of course, dogs are no longer animals. How can they be if they are taken in a bag for a walk!