After returning to China from studying abroad, I customize the "Arc'teryx of the dog world" for people in Shanghai.

You must have heard of personalized customization, but have you ever seen customized pet clothing?

Just like custom - making clothes for people, you need to visit the pet's home to measure its size, including chest circumference, neck circumference, and body length. Then, let the pet's owner, not the pet itself, choose the style, design, and fabric, as well as any personalized elements they want to add to the clothing. After about a week, a unique piece of clothing specially designed for the pet will be created.

Last summer, Zang Shuo, a girl who graduated from a fashion design major two and a half years ago, shifted her focus from custom - making cheongsams and suits for people to custom - making clothes for pets.

She spent five years in undergraduate and postgraduate studies, investing a great deal of time and nearly 400,000 yuan in professional courses. However, after graduation, she decided to switch to making clothes for dogs. This might sound surprising. Some customers even sighed that she was "overqualified" for this job after learning about her educational background. But in Zang Shuo's view, everyone is just trying to make a living.

A series of data reports indicate that the pet economy is a blue ocean. According to the "2025 China Pet Industry White Paper", pet owners' economic investment in their pets has been continuously increasing. In 2024, the average annual consumption per pet dog was 2,961 yuan, a 3.0% increase compared to 2023; the average annual consumption per pet cat was 2,020 yuan, a 4.9% increase compared to 2023.

On the other hand, there are still many pain points in the pet clothing market. Many of the clothes have similar styles and limited sizes, making it difficult to meet the needs of large - sized dogs. The customized ones are mostly high - end, with prices often reaching four digits, which discourages many consumers.

This gave Zang Shuo a sense of opportunity. Why not use her professional skills to customize clothes for dogs? Thus, she launched a service to remake old clothes and pants, and also designed different styles of clothes for dogs of different breeds and body shapes. Moreover, the prices are quite reasonable. A remade piece costs only 188 yuan, and the customized ones range from 200 to 400 yuan.

Thanks to the advantage of low prices, Zang Shuo received many customization orders. At her busiest, she could receive up to 100 orders a month. Sometimes, when she was swamped with work, she had to ask an aunt to help with sewing.

A few days ago, "Post - 90s Research Institute" met Zang Shuo at a coffee shop. She brought a dog model wearing a new - style Chinese lake - blue vest she had recently designed. The vest was made from the leftover fabric of a cheongsam she had made for a human. There were three delicate bow - shaped frog closures on the back, and the gold and silver cloud patterns on the fabric made the dog look elegant and noble.

Zang Shuo's new - style Chinese pet clothing

Just like this new - style Chinese vest, under Zang Shuo's needlework, Burberry windbreakers, Lolita dresses, and old jeans have all been given new life in unexpected ways. In her designs, dogs can also wear cloaks, overalls, and dresses.

She said, "Pets don't have aesthetic anxiety, which allows for more freedom in design." We had a chat with her about her design concept and the current pet market.

Here is her story.

People are willing to spend money on their pets, especially those in Shanghai

I studied fashion design for both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, mainly focusing on human clothing, especially women's wear.

However, the women's wear market is currently in a slump and very difficult to break into. Just look at my friends. Design - related jobs don't pay well these days. A master's graduate in Beijing can earn around 8,000 yuan, while in Chengdu, it's usually only 5,000 - 6,000 yuan. And they usually start as design assistants and need one or two years to be promoted to designers.

In the current environment, designers are not highly valued because there is little protection for original works in China. Once you create an original design, it may be copied by some merchants, who can sell it at a lower price and with higher sales.

So, many of my classmates have changed careers. Some who started studying fashion design abroad in junior high or high school are now selling insurance. Only a few are still in the design field.

When I first graduated, I was very confused. I tried many things related to my major, such as fashion sharing and handicraft making, but I didn't get any good results.

I have a Pekingese at home. It's very cute and chubby. Last summer, since I had too many old clothes at home, I remade one for my dog using an old pair of jeans. I thought it looked quite nice. I've always been interested in remaking. My graduation project was related to this, and I often follow some Xiaohongshu accounts that show how to disassemble Adidas or Nike clothes and remake them into vests or dresses, or turn ties into skirts. It's really interesting. Although I've never done this for people, I decided to apply this skill to dogs.

After conducting some market research, I found that people are willing to spend money on their pets, especially those in Shanghai. They love keeping pets and often take them out in strollers. They even take their dogs on trips every season. Moreover, most of them dress their dogs, and it's rare to see a naked dog.

I also read a report about the increasing proportion of dog - owners. Many post - 90s choose to keep cats or dogs. Many of my friends also have pets and spend a lot of money on them every month.

At that time, there was no one in the domestic market offering pet clothing remaking services. There was only one on Xiaohongshu, but it was in Japan. I thought I could fill this gap in the market, so I felt it was worth investing time, energy, and money in it. I thought this market was worth a try, even though I wasn't sure if I could get any orders. It just seemed like fun, so I decided to give it a shot.

At first, my main service was old - clothes remaking. For this service, dog owners can send me their unused clothes, and I'll remake them. The clothes designed in this way are not only environmentally friendly but also unique in style.

I made several remade clothes and showed them to my friends. Those of us in the design field thought they were interesting and unique. But when I shared them with non - art - major friends, they couldn't understand. They thought the clothes looked a bit shabby and cheap, and they wondered why I didn't use new fabrics.

Moreover, the market response to remaking was not very good. I took some remade clothes to a market fair. Many people thought they were nice, the fabric felt good, and they looked good on dogs. The concept was also well - received, but there weren't many actual sales. After all, those who can accept remaking usually have unique ideas, and most people just want things to be convenient.

However, at the market fair, I noticed that many dogs couldn't find suitable clothes. Especially large - sized dogs like Great Danes and Dobermans. The mass - produced clothes on the market can't meet their needs. They usually come in fixed sizes like S, M, and L, and with limited fabric options, leaving little room for choice. But their owners are willing to spend money on them. Sometimes, a full - service bath, grooming, and hair - trimming session can take up to six hours and cost four digits.

I asked my dog - owning friends about their preferences for dog clothes, such as the price they could accept, the styles they usually buy, and the seasons when they buy more. I found that winter is the peak season for buying dog clothes because people think dogs are afraid of the cold. Festivals are also popular times. For example, during the Spring Festival, New Year - greeting clothes are very popular, and so are Halloween costumes.

Zang Shuo's New Year - greeting clothes for dogs

So, I launched a customized pet clothing service. Dogs that have trouble finding suitable clothes or those whose owners want to customize clothes for festivals or birthdays can come to me. Most of them have two main requirements: a proper fit and a nice style.

Study canine ergonomics before making clothes

My first customer was someone I approached for a mutual - benefit cooperation.

In August last year, I saw her Dachshund participating in a pet fashion show in Shanghai on Xiaohongshu. The dog looked very stylish in its clothes, and the photos were of high quality. I contacted her and told her that I was a fashion design major and could remake some clothes for her dog for free using old clothes. In return, she needed to post some photos on social media. That's how our cooperation started.

I made a set of clothes for her dog in one day, and she was very satisfied. She even took photos and shared them in her friend group. Many of her friends also own dogs. Some of them saw the photos and said the clothes were nice and asked where to buy them. Through this kind of word - of - mouth, I gradually started to get more orders. Maybe people in Shanghai are really interested in remaking.

Shifting from making clothes for two - legged beings to four - legged ones, I had to learn about pattern - making.

At first, I didn't know how to make patterns for dogs. I bought a pre - made pattern online, but it didn't fit my dog. I had to make adjustments after putting it on the dog.

I bought a book on dog pattern - making, but I only learned the basic pattern, which was a vest. Later, when someone asked me if I could make different styles, I searched for flat - lay photos of clothes on foreign websites and made some modifications to the patterns. That's how I came up with designs like cloaks, dresses, and overalls.

Zang Shuo's windbreaker for dogs

Canine ergonomics is different from human ergonomics. For example, dogs need clothes around their necks. When making a pullover style, you need to consider whether the dog's head can fit through. You also need to think about whether the dog will be uncomfortable when wearing a chest harness. Some dogs have large chests, and they may not like clothes with buttons sewn on the bottom. Oh, you also need to consider that dogs need to pee, so you can't let them soil their clothes.

Moreover, different dog breeds have different suitable patterns. For example, Greyhounds have very thin waists but high chestbones. You need to take canine ergonomics into account, such as adding extra room and darts in the right places when making the pattern to ensure a better fit. Some dogs don't like pullovers because they feel scared when their vision suddenly goes dark. This also depends on the dog's personality.

Before making clothes for a dog, I'll first ask about its weight and three measurements: chest circumference, neck circumference, and body length. For some online orders, I'll ask the owner to measure the dog's size first and then send me a photo of the dog standing. I'll estimate the extra room needed based on the photo because some dogs have fluffy fur, or the dog may have just had a haircut, and I need to leave some margin.

Then I'll ask about the dog's dressing habits. For example, some owners like to cover the dog's tail, while others prefer the clothes to end just above the tail. Then I'll calculate the length of the clothes based on the dog's three measurements and start making the pattern.

Since my dog doesn't wear clothes often and I've never bought clothes for it, I didn't know what people's requirements were for dog clothes at first. Once, a customer gave me the normal body length of their dog at first. After I made a sample, they said they wanted to cover the dog's tail, so they sent it back for modification, which took two weeks.

That's when I realized that some people want longer clothes, some want shorter ones, some want the perfect fit, and some don't really care.

So now, when a customer comes to me, I'll ask them what style they want, such as a cape, vest, cloak, or dress, whether it should have sleeves or not, and whether they prefer long or short clothes. After determining the style, I'll ask about their preferred design or any elements they want, like a dog name tag. Only after completing all these pre - design communications will I proceed with the next step of the design.

Zang Shuo's dog model

To avoid errors, I'll first make a sample out of muslin based on the measurements and send it to the dog's owner to check the sleeve length and fit. If the size is right, I'll then cut the final fabric, which can also avoid the risk of running out of fabric.

After the fitting, I'll make a pattern for each dog and keep it. The next time they come to me for customization, I'll modify this pattern to make a dress, cape, etc. It's quite convenient, just like custom - making clothes for people.

At first, I was very unconfident. Even in December last year, when I faced customers at the market fair, I was nervous that I might not sell a single piece. However, many people at the fair thought my idea of remaking was meaningful and that customization could meet their needs. Some customers who didn't bring their dogs with them even made an appointment to come back the next day with their dogs to try on the clothes.

I think the market response is better than I expected.

Making clothes for dogs is actually to satisfy the owners

Buying clothes for dogs is similar to buying clothes for people. People want different styles each year, and the trend is always changing. I've been trying to keep up with the market changes.

When I was doing private customization for people, I liked using the British style for suits. So, I applied this style to dog clothes, using British - style plaids and houndstooth fabrics. Before I started custom - making pet clothes, there were already