STRUZ Charity Canine Fashion Show

The first ever STRUZ Charity Canine Fashion Show was held at Dovehouse Green, in King’s Road, Chelsea, in aid of Dogs Trust, Soi Dog Foundation UK, and Pets As Therapy, was a great success, with a fantastic turnout. The seats on the sides of the catwalk (or dogwalk more appropriately) were crowded with humans and dogs, looking forward to see the dog models “strutting their stuff”.

About its birth, Love My Human’s told us, “Charity is very important to Love to My Human. We love that we get to see so many beautiful pampered pooches everyday but we know that not every dog is so lucky, so we wanted to do something for them. We chose Soi Dog and Dogs Trust as they both do so much to help dogs who have been neglected or abandoned. We also chose Pets as Therapy as we have some lovely PAT dog friends and we see the all the good work they and their humans do in their communities. So we wanted to support them as well”.

A very long list of brands were happy to help and donated collar sets, coats, jumpers, dog beds and other accessories which were shown and auctioned on the day: Mutts & Hounds, Fetch & follow, See Scout Sleep, Howlpot, Max Bone, Buddy’s Dogwear, Hindquarters, Teddy Maximus, Labbvenn, Cloud7, MiaCara, Joy Fitzsimmons (artist), Little Lord Barkley, The Dog House, Furry Chef, Pet Teezer, Rockster, ByBenji, The Country Dog Hotel. The show was also supported by Sloane Stanley & Kings Road, Chelsea instagram, Busaba for human treats and Timothy Oulton for post-show fizz.

As for the dog models, there dogs from all backgrounds: instafamous ones, dogs which collaborate with the charities involved, dog bloggers, and local dogs. We met Marcel Le Corgi, who apart from his known is in fact also a qualified therapy dog, and wore a yellow rain coat by Cloud7; Tom Bully the Bull Terrier, who strutted an awesome curly knit jumper by Max Bone, Mr Gizmo the pug, with a stylish jumper and bow tie. One of our favourite looks was George’s from Miss Darcy’s Adventures: his yellow jumper by Yakshi Malholtra looked so perfect on his dark fur.  There were modern outstanding lead and collar sets, like the ones worn by Herbie and Dave and some very lovely dog beds that looked cozy and warm for the upcoming winter nights.

The (dog) catwalk

The dog models gathered before the start of the show and there was a lot of excitement. Love My Human’s crew had worked on a great set-up, with festive  garlands, two tents, a fake grass catwalk with two lines of fake Autumn leaves running on its sides, and dogs would have walked out of one of the tents and through an arch to start their walk. Two rows of seats were prepared on both sides, and the excitement grew as more people arrived.

We were at the back so we missed the talks by Jenny from Love by Human and the charities, but could gauge that it was well received, and there was also music with guitar and voice. All the dog models were ready and awaited their turn on the green behind the tents, unseen by the audience, so it was even a bigger surprise when they walked down the catwalk aisle. Argo participated too, strutting a wool dog coat by Cloud7, which was an exact matching with Hector the Spaniel’s one just behind in line. We had done some focus training before arriving, but it looked like it had been pretty ineffective: Argo walked fast down the aisle sniffing around and looking for my husband, wagging his tail, who was kneeling in the first line, silently laughing because he was hiding behind the camera and Argo didn’t notice him despite looking around for him. He didn’t really want to leave either, making it probably a funny scene to watch.

Everyone had a great time at the show and after the catwalk it was time for the silent auction, and treats for dogs and humans.

Still in time…

A few lovely items that we haven’t are now up for auction on Love My Human’s Instagram account, so head over to their profile and help them raise as much possible for these wonderful charities. In addition, Love My Human stocks some great gifts from Soi Dog in the shop so people can buy them – all the proceeds from the sale of these go straight to Soi Dog.

Love My Human noted, “We feel very fortunate to know such generous and lovely people and appreciate all the support we’ve been given by the brands we work with, the local community, and most of all the amazing pooches & their humans who come to visit us in the shop every day.” They will be announcing the amount raised soon, and, in case you are wondering… yes, there will be a STRUZ 2 next year!

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