For design and dog-lovers alike, there has never been more products in the market that bridge these to appreciations. Danish brand HAY is widely known and collected by established and young design-lovers for the intelligent, yet affordable pieces, and now your pets can too.
Products for pets are often very neutral and kept in earthy-coloured tones, but with HAY’s collection, they become a visible touch of colour instead of something purely utilitarian.
As well as the Dog Bed, which features a colour-blocked design, the collection includes Stoneware Bowls and a cotton Dog Scarf with a playful design that owners may be tempted to wear too. It also features a Collar, Flat Leash and a Braided Leash that come in several matching colourways and a Rope Toy featuring a twisted design and knot to encourage chewing and gripping. Most of the accessories are made from recycled polyester.
The idea for HAY Dogs came about when Mette Hay and her friend Barbara Maj Husted Werner - owner of the fashion and interiors boutique Holly Golightly - were on one of their routine dog walks in the woods north of Copenhagen. With Hay’s passion for elevating everyday objects and Holly Golightly’s innate sense of style, they decided to collaborate on a series of cheerful accessories that invite dog owners and their pets into the HAY universe.
Above all, the collection reflects HAY’s mission of making high-quality products that bring joy to daily activities, such as walking your dog.
”It’s always interesting to dive into a market where we feel that we have a new take to offer, and we felt HAY could bring some colour to the game,” says Hay, Founder and Creative Director of Accessories.
”It was important that the colours work for all types of dogs - male and female, different breeds, different sizes - to fit any dog character,” she says. In the same way that humans dress according to their personality and use fashion as a means of expression, Werner says it’s fun to give one’s dog a personality too. ”Dog accessories are something you use every day. Dogs have all kinds of ’personal items’ similar to any other member of the family, so why shouldn’t they be nice to look at?”