A woman whose hobby is sewing clothes for her dogs has a successful business selling canine outfits to other dog owners, adding a new dimension to local fashions. 

Ms Buaphim, 33, of Phonphanao village in Vientiane said she has spent the past two years making clothes for her dogs, and has now become an accomplished doggy garment maker.

This line of work is not her main business. She is a vet and graduated from a university in Thailand seven years ago. She opened a clinic in Vientiane in 2000 and watched a steady stream of dog lovers crossing the border to buy clothing for their pets. She realised there was a potential market niche for such items and went into production herself in 2003.

“Making clothes for dogs is not so easy. Even experienced tailors are not able to piece these suits together,” Ms Buaphim said. She added that the biggest problem she encountered was the looseness of clothing around the neck and making a garment that would allow the dog to urinate freely.

Sales reach a peak in the winter months when dog owners take special care to keep their pets warm. Last winter, Ms Buaphim sold between 200 and 300 outfits at her shop, excluding those she supplied to other shops and clinics.

“People like to bring their dogs here and choose the right garment for them,” she said. Ms Buaphim did not master her craft haphazardly, as she wanted her dogs to look well turned out, so she spent a lot of time carefully stitching their outfits. She also measured up the various sizes of dogs that people brought to her shop in their search for doggy couture. Her boutique stocks several different styles such as vests and jumpers that are appropriate for both local and foreign dogs.

One regular customer, Ms Ouy (from Ban Phonxay), said the garments were much cheaper than those available in Thailand. Ms Buaphim’s outfits ranged from 15,000 to 35,000 kip, compared to prices of from 200 to 300 baht over the border.   

Ms Ouy has 14 dogs and could not bear to give any of them away because they were all so lovely. “I keep my dogs in an air-conditioned room, I take them to sleep with me and of course they must be the best-dressed dogs in town. I love buying new suits for them,” she explained.

Buaphim’s business has been expanding and well-known among groups of dog lovers. In the past, she has exhibited and sold her dog suits at Lao-ITECC for three times and this year she will supply many sets of suits at supper markets in Vientiane as she is optimistic the business will be boomed in the future.

Buaphim’s clinic serves to treat small animals including operation process. It also serves to make up animal furs. She likes dogs very much so she went to study veterinary subject in Thailand in 1992. Dogs are good friends of people. Some people consider dogs as their family members. Joking with dogs and traveling with dogs are part of people’s happy lives.

source: target magazine