A Dundee graduate has been astonished at a surge in sales for her luxury dog accessories business Stocky & Dee.
Textiles graduate Mairi Robb set up the firm two years ago with her husband Chris.
The rise in pet ownership during the pandemic means the firm is experiencing rapid growth.
Stocky & Dee has sold more than 6,500 products and fulfilled 2,300 orders over the last year. It now employs four staff.
Stocky & Dee ‘surged beyond expectations’
Mairi, who studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, came up with the idea for the business.
Her husband Chris, a professional golfer, became more involved as tournaments were cancelled and travel restricted.
Mairi was inspired to start designing dog collars while running a gift shop in Royal Deeside before moving to Edinburgh.
She says: “As a textile graduate and dog lover, Stocky & Dee has given me the chance to use my skills and passions to build a successful family business.
“We started to grow before the pandemic hit, but demand has surged beyond our expectations as a result of the growth in dog ownership over the past 18 months.
“There was clearly a gap in the market for high-quality, bespoke dog accessories and we helped to fill that space.”
Stocky & Dee moved into its dedicated studio in Leith at the start of this year, after the business outgrew the first site it had moved to in Edinburgh when it had become too big to run from home.
It now employs four full-time members of staff, including a textile designer and a textile intern.
Products stocked in four countries
Popular products include customisable collars, leads, harnesses and even doggy bow-ties.
Mairi says: “Dogs are an extension of our families, and we want to reflect their unique personalities through our products.
“We’ve seen a rise in owners wanting to invest in fashionable options for their pets.
“We didn’t feel there was anyone out there offering bespoke, handcrafted accessories for their four-legged friends.”
All products are handmade to ensure a perfect fit and created using UK-sourced yarn colours and patterns.
Products are currently mainly sold through the Stocky & Dee website.
A small number of retail outlets in the UK, US, Norway and Belgium also stock the accessories.
Stocky & Dee is looking to increase the number of retailers it works with and is currently finalising discussions with a major European brand.
From the outset, the firm has committed to giving something back through charity initiatives.
In December 2019, it created its Pup-Cycle campaign to limit waste by recycling collars that it donates to a different dog home every month.
It also created a Rainbow Collection during lockdown on the back of the popularity of the NHS rainbow image, with half the profits of sales of those collars going to a cat and dog home.