profile THER E’S A NEW GOLDEN RULE FOR DOG DESIGN: WOULD YOU WEAR IT?
b y d es i g n f e t c h & f o l lo w Genesta Gunn and Taneale Hrymaskowski do fashion for dogs. They started Fetch & Follow— an East London–based lifestyle brand making dog necessities, from healthy treats to performance-grade jackets—back in 2014. It’s been a learning process. They originally launched the standard winter coat in a single size and style, but they’ve now extended it (literally) for both wider-chested and longer dogs. Across all sizes, the focus is on the fabric. The outer layer’s waxed cotton is made using traditional Scottish techniques (think 15th-century sailors waterproofing their sails), producing more or less the doggy equivalent of a Barbour jacket. Practicalities aside, there’s something quite glam about Fetch & Follow. Maybe it’s their beautifully lit catalogue models (including the team’s own hounds, rescue dog and whippet-staffy cross Lacy, minischnauzer Frank and border terrier George). Maybe it’s the fact that they make things like Breton-stripe jerseys for dogs. But this kind of sophistication makes sense when you realise Gunn and Hrymaskowski hail from the human fashion industry. Gunn trained in fashion design, and then moved into interior design and homewares, buying for brands such as Cath Kidston, Arcadia, and Designers Guild. Hrymaskowski trained as a graphic designer and has worked as a print designer for both surf and high-end fashion labels. They became friends while walking their dogs. “We both wanted to do something we love, but for ourselves rather than a big company,” says Gunn. “Plus, we now get to spend the day with our dogs.” Both have taken lessons from their time on the human side of the tracks: the ins and outs of design as well as things like costing and sourcing. “But I think the biggest is treating people how you would like to be treated,” says Gunn. “You never want anyone to feel undervalued.” Hrymaskowski agrees: “Be yourself, and just be nice.” The human–canine fashion link goes deeper than the couple’s professional histories. As Hrymaskowski points out, the way dogs and dog owners present themselves when they’re out and about can—for better or worse—shape how they’re received in the community. “If I’m taking Lacy out, I’m smart casual and always with lipstick,” she says. “I’m laughed at
for this, but because staffies have such a bad name, I always want to look like a respectable and responsible dog owner.” More simply, Fetch & Follow designs are grounded in a basic instinct for human street style. Gunn and Hrymaskowski may take inspiration from their environment (the recent autumn collection riffs on winter seaside walks), but there’s an overriding rule at play: if the designers wouldn’t actually wear it (in a human version), it doesn’t go in the range. Take the new sherpa fleece dog jacket: From one angle, it looks like your dog is dressing up as a sheep. From another, it’s more like something Tilda Swinton would wear hiking. (Author’s note: Both are good.) The designs aim to be timeless; they age with the wearer for environmental reasons (durable materials reduce waste) as well as stylish ones (stuff looks lovely when it’s a bit worn in). “I’m all about quality over quantity,” says Hrymaskowski, “interesting yet simple pieces that will last for years.” “We don’t follow fads,” Gunn agrees. Their classic leather leads and collars prove the point (currently popular in green, but always reliable in tan, if you’re wondering). Enter another human fashion tradition: the collaboration. Recently, Fetch & Follow worked with East London silk-screen printers Draw in Light to make a limited-edition line (featuring Draw in Light’s dog, Bruce) from just 12 metres of fabric. Last year, there was a camouflage range with canine Net-a-Porter: Lead the Walk. “It gave us a chance to be slightly more brave in our fabric/colour/print choice and pushed us out of our comfort zones,” says Gunn. “You can’t be good at everything.” More collaborations are on the way in 2018, along with two more Fetch & Follow collections. Gunn and Hrymaskowski have just moved into a new studio, and they’re planning a series of pop-up locations in addition to their shipping-container store in London Fields. Although Fetch & Follow’s goods are now stocked everywhere from Reykjavik to Seattle, the label is local at heart. “The proudest moment has to be when you go to London Fields Park or a local café and a dog struts in wearing our products,” Gunn says. “You can’t help but smile, and of course say hello.”
WORDS BY IMOGEN DEWEY ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF FETCH&FOLLOW
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