The devoted owner of a crossbreed pooch has built an entire luxury accessory company inspired by the little pup, with collars and matching sets that ensure your dog looks the most dapper in their town.
Founded by Sophie Sedgwick-Dwane in 2019, Pugalier of London was born after the designer struggled to source high quality products for little Cognac.
The pug cross Cavalier King Charles spaniel - known as a pugalier - is now the face of the brand, quality testing all of the products before they head out in orders to be worn by stylish dogs up and down the UK.
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Sophie said: “Cognac is the furball that inspired me to start Pugalier of London. When I started shopping for the necessary dog accessory products to spoil this little pup, I found I was often disappointed by the sizing, quality, and aesthetic nature - I wanted to change that!"
Being the owner of two crossbreed rescue dogs, I know all too well that collars, harnesses and other accessories like jumpers and coats, can be a nightmare to size, unless custom made. Phoebe in particular has a small head in comparison to her deep chest, which makes neck sizing incredibly difficult, while Frank is long, leggy and generally quite gangly.
At Pugalier of London, Sophie and Cognac’s main objective are to offer comfortable, functional products that fit well, designed and made in the UK before being distributed from their Hampshire studio.
In a bid to be sustainable, the brand’s ethos is very much ‘buy well, buy once’, with long lasting, small batch products to eliminate waste, which is something that I really admire.
Phoebe and Frank are undeniably spoiled pooches. Not in the sense that they eat wagyu beef from diamond encrusted bowls, but they’re treated like part of the family and do have their own Instagram account. Their treat tin is always fully stocked and they have a small collection of coats, jumpers, snoods and bandanas they like to switch up now and again.
The Pugalier of London collars come in nubuck and rolled leather options, in four colours each. In the nubuck variety, owners can choose from pink, blue, black or green, so I opted for pink for Phoebe, and green for Frank.
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The collars cost £55 each, or £60 with engraving on the included ID tag. Naturally, I had their names added, because who doesn’t love a personalised accessory?
Sophie added: “Exclusively designed for the outdoors as well as the indoors, Pugalier of London knows dogs. With design, colour, and comfort close to mind, there’s no reason why your dogs’ wardrobe should be limited to just one look.”
They arrived in a beautiful black compostable cotton drawstring bag, protecting the smooth leather products in transit. It was instantly noticeable that these were of exquisite quality, soft to touch but sturdy, with the natural product very unlikely to irritate sensitive skin like synthetic fibres.
The ID tags saw ‘Phoebe’ and ‘Frank’ engraved on the reverse side of each nickel label, without distracting from the beautiful colour and quality of the collars.
Trying the collars on for size, Frank’s was the absolute perfect fit in a size five, but I could have done with a size four for Phoebe as she had lost some weight between sizing her and the collar arriving. That said, we do have a leather punch at home and intend to add an extra hole.
The collars are available in sizes one to six, which is double the standard ‘small, medium and large’ you’ll find in average pet stores, making it much more likely to find the best fit for your pet. As the size increases, as does the thickness of the collar so it’s ideal for our strong bull breeds.
The soft, muted colours look gorgeous on the individual dogs, but when they stand together, the way they compliment each other is stunning. I almost feel as though I need to get the matching harness, lead and poo-bag holder to complete the boujee look.
The collars both have a tan leather loop to hold them in place, with silver hardware for a timeless look that will never go out of fashion, with colour matched stitching to tie it all together. And while they’re likely to be considered an investment piece due to their higher price point, the quality is unmatched and is sure to last a lifetime.
Pugalier of London have managed to nail a combination of durability, fashionability and practicality to bring a truly beautiful piece of craftsmanship to the market and your dog’s growing wardrobe. I truly think Phoebe and Frank hold their heads a little higher and walk a little prouder wearing their new collars.
Okay, £60 a collar sounds like a lot, but at the end of the day, these animals have such a short amount of time with us on this earth, so why not give them the absolute best? You can shop the collars for your own pampered pup here.
