Designers will do all kinds of strange things to get attention. That’s how they make people genuinely consider spending thousands of pounds on a jacket.
For Gucci, that’s making models carry their own severed heads.
At Tod’s, a far sweeter method was used: Puppies.
Sadly, guests at the show did not each walk away with their own rescue dog (how wonderful would that have been?), but instead were able to sit back and watch some excellent doggos on the runway.
For the designer’s Milan Fashion Week show, Tod’s sent models down the runway carrying extremely cute puppies.
The move was to mark the Chinese year of the dog. Gigi Hadid carried a boxer, Yasmin Wijnaldum had a shiba to match her jacket, and Vittoria Ceretti carried a cavalier King Charles spaniel.
But while we greatly enjoy looking at photos of puppies next to cosy clothes, the move has attracted some criticism.
Pets are not accessories to be matched to your outfit, and showing purebred puppies in this way could promote the old trend of handbag dogs toted around by every cool kid of the fashion industry.
Pets should be adopted not based on how cute they look with an outfit, but based on an individual’s ability to provide them with a loving home and a happy, healthy life.
That means adopting and rescuing dogs rather than purchasing purebred pups through puppy mills and breeders, and choosing a breed based on its health and personality, not just how cute it looks next to your jacket.
We also have some concerns about the involvement of puppies in a busy, high-paced fashion environment. Were the puppies protected from the harsh flashes of cameras? Were they given food and water backstage? Did runners make sure the quick outfit changes weren’t stressing out the dogs as well as the models?
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Naturally, PETA aren’t pleased with the move, stating: ‘Animals aren’t fashion accessories.
‘Tod’s could take a lesson from Gucci – which has not only banned fur but also demonstrated creativity by sending only hyper-realistic props of “animals” down the runway.
‘If anyone wants a puppy and can treat an animal companion with love, consideration, and respect, please go to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home or another refuge and adopt, never buy.’
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