Fido Fashion Inc. was founded in 2008 by President and Owner, Lucy A. Mitchell.
History of the Brand
In 2007 Lucy watched several of her neighbors walking their dogs at night holding flashlights and attempting to see their way in the dark. One was even wearing a light on his forehead. When she asked why, he replied he couldn’t hold the dog’s leash, flashlight and pick up after his pet. Giving it some thought, Lucy figured there had to be a better way. The Fido Fashion retractable pet leash was born.
The Design Process
Lucy tapped into her aviation engineering background and began by modifying an off-the-shelf retractable leash by grafting a generator to it to, but it didn't work perfectly. “I thought this was going to be simple, how hard could this be?” The development process was in fact a steep learning curve. Lucy contracted a top design engineering company based in Boston, Goddard Technologies, to assist and went back to the drawing board.
Thinking Forward
After experimenting extensively with gear ratios, generator positions, light positions, battery packs and circuit boards, several prototypes later, Lucy now has what she believes is the perfect combination of size, weight, power and style. “I wanted my leash to represent the twenty-first century, and not just work well but look great too.” Other retractable leashes have remained essentially unchanged since the 1980’s, with few color choices, limited, clumsy and bulky accessories. Lucy has set out to change all of that.
Supporting Facts
Consumer spending in the pet market is at an all time high in the US. In 2009 pet owner/consumers spend a total of $45.4 billion annually on pet supplies, food, healthcare, up from $43.2 in 2008. In 1994 the market was only $17 billion. More than ever is being spent on accessories such as pet fashion.
There are over 77.5 million pet dogs in the US alone. More households own a dog than any other pet, and cats come in at number two. Dog owners in the US spend on average $1,425 on their dogs, and only $990 on their cats. Most dog owners consider their dog to be part of the family. As the baby boomers age, and their children leave home they are spending more on their pets than ever before.
In developing nations many of the new middle class now own a pet dog for the first time in history. There are now huge opportunities worldwide in the pet industry. Be part of it, fill out the enquiry form and a full prospectus will be sent via e-mail. Join us at Fido Fashion, Inc.
All statistics provided by APPA American Pet Producers Association, Inc.