Pet fashion all the rage as owners bark, What recession?

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

NEW YORK (AFP) — It's a dog's life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling?

That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world's dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity.

At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners.

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