‘My dog’s built her own fashion community’: how canine companions stole the fashion week spotlight

The front row at a fashion week show is a known hotspot for celebrities. During the most recent iteration that wrapped up on Tuesday, sightings included Heathcliff, AKA Jacob Elordi, high-fiving the Adolescence star Owen Cooper at Bottega Veneta; Rihanna arriving 63 minutes late to the Matières Fécales show; and Dua Lipa gossiping with Nicole Kidman and Pedro Pascal at Chanel. But peppered in among the Hollywood crowd was another type of guest going head-to-head for the photographers’ attention: dogs.

From a cavapoo at Louis Vuitton to a shih tzu at Schiaparelli, four-legged companions – rather than designer bags – sat on the laps of many showgoers. At the Balenciaga show, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicole Peltz sat next to Miranda Priestly – no, not Meryl Streep in her Devil Wears Prada character, but the brand’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s rescue dog. Tommy Hilfiger took his post-show bow with a fluffy samoyed – a look-a-like of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s pup who stars with Kelce in a campaign for the brand. Elsewhere, a miniature schnauzer in goggles and a chihuahua wearing a puffer jacket took over the catwalk at Chopova Lowena.

While Demi Moore’s 1.2lb chihuahua Pilaf was once a regular guest at shows (RIP), 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, and not just A-listers, 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.”

This new doggy dominance is reflected in wider culture, where from treat jars at local pubs to a surge in specialist clothing and dedicated fashion magazine covers, the central role that dogs play in many people’s lives is increasingly being celebrated.

Prada, an appropriately-named five-year-old teacup pomchi (a crossbreed between a pomeranian and a chihuahua) 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. “In Paris, I’ve never dared take her to a show because most of the venues are cultural institutions, and I just know she wouldn’t be allowed in, so there’s no point asking,” says Rothery.

Copenhagen is usually more pooch-friendly, but for one particular show in August, Rothery turned up to discover access meant passing through a museum where dogs were banned. The security guard told Rothery that if she hid Disco, he would “turn a blind eye”.

“It turned into a really lovely act of kindness towards us both,” Rothery says. “It’s hard to be negative when a dog’s around. They just make everyone feel good about life.”

While Prada enjoys the spotlight, her attendance at fashion week is as West’s registered support animal – her role is to help provide stability to West, who has anxiety. “I feel way more safe and comfortable having her with me at events than not,” West says. This time at London fashion week, she joined West at every show, aside from two where West was given a head’s up that the music would be too loud. “If an event isn’t pooch-friendly, it’s usually one that isn’t chill, so then I know it would stress me out being there anyway,” West says. “I’ve learned I don’t want to be in spaces that wouldn’t allow my dog.”

West says the increased visibility of dogs at fashion week suggests that 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.”

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