With Onam around the corner, your pet, too, deserves TLC, sadhya and fun, all while wearing an onakkodi, just like you. Just Dogs Kochi, a pet shop founded by Jubin Shaju in association with Anoop Shankar and Abe Sam Thomas, has come up with an Onakkodi collection just for pets. It’s is the destination to get your pet dog the perfect Onam makeover. In case you’re wondering who they are, Just Dogs Kochi is a franchisee that curates hand-picked pet products from across the world and supports local artisans and homegrown brands who exude premium quality and ethical standards.
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Pets are a significant part of our family. The pleasure of celebrating Onam with our loved ones, wearing traditional Onam attire should also be extended to our pets. People have a misconception that attire for dogs is uncomfortable. Keeping this in mind, the folks at Just Dogs Kochi created customised dresses based on the anatomy of a dog. The material used is airy and soft so it would not poke them in any odd angles.
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Liz Arakcal, the Creative Head of Just Dogs Kochi, shared, “The dresses are extremely minimal and elegant as we want your pets to be a true reflection of your elegant self. You can twin with your pet on Onam with our special collection too. More than that, by shopping with us, you are being responsible shoppers. Each product that you buy will help a handloom artist who is struggling due to the recurring floods and Corona. Ethical shopping should reflect in every walk of life, so why not for pets?”
This exclusive Onakkodi collection for pets is simple and there’s zero wastage involved. The dresses are curated in such a way that they can be easily converted to other styles and worn again for other occasions like Vishu or for their birthdays. The Onam collection comprises of :
- One handloom kerala kasavu dress
- One Kanchipuram and kerala kasavu dress for the girls
- One handloom kerala kasavu shirt for the boys
- A unisex kerala kasavu vest
- Bandana and bowties
The price range of this pet Onam collection is between ₹399- ₹2399.
How Did The Onakkodi Collection For Pets Come About?
You’ll find it really hard to come across comfortable clothing for pets in and around Kochi. Just Dogs Kochi, therefore, decided to create dresses for Onam that were not only comfortable but also conducive to Kerala’s climate. They also had to make sure that the dresses followed ethical standards where they wouldn’t be mass-produced or encourage any form of exploitative practices. That’s when the founders stumbled upon the idea of creating a pure handloom Onakkodi dress collection for pets.
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Liz Arackal commented, “Handloom for pets is a never-heard-before idea. In a way, it is almost like paying tribute to the rich culture of the land in which pet owners have grown up. Thus, we found a homegrown ethical brand called “Mirali Clothing” which is a young brand started by two women in their twenties. They create pure handloom clothes for children. We were in awe of their work and we could immediately connect with them as they shared the same core principles and values that we stood for. Thus, we decided to collaborate with them and our Onam collection 2021 – Just Dogs X Mirali Clothing – was born.” Mirali Clothing procures its raw material from the Balaramapuram weaving community. They work closely with them to elevate their work and give them maximum support in any possible manner.
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Just Dogs Kochi has also decided to be a part of the #SaveTheLoom campaign by the Kerala Government, where they have vowed to wear only handloom clothes this Onam. She added, “Handloom clothing with its airy fabric is the most comfortable material for pets in our climate. Every single dress was sleep-tested, where we made a full-grown long-haired Shihtzu wear the dresses and see if she displayed any discomfort. This was tested on a dog who is normally averse to clothing and, hence, all dresses were approved after a carefully monitored test.”
About Just Dogs Kochi
Jubin Shaju, Anoop Shankar and Abe Sam Thomas are natural-born pet lovers since their childhood. It is from their own pet nurturing experience that they decided to kickstart Just Dogs Kochi. The idea was also to shift the pet store culture from a mere hypermarket model to a more personal space.
One of the founders knew that his calling was to start a store when Sasha, the shihtzu, came into his life. It was his first pet in adulthood. Being an avid traveller and a global citizen, he has experienced the pet culture globally and found a vacuum in Kerala for good organic and safe products and efficient grooming. He saw that pets were still just pets in our society. And, therefore, wanted to treat pets with all the dignity, respect and quality of life that a human being has. He wanted to curate products and services for pets that are of the highest ethical standards and quality.
A few conversations later, the three techie friends met and decided to set up a store that treated pets as their own babies and gave them nothing but the best. They took up a franchise from the parent company and started the store at Panampilly Nagar, Kochi while adding their own flavours to it.
At Just Dogs Kochi, pets and their parents felt at home and can shop in the most comfortable and homely manner. In fact, the store is also structured keeping this in mind.
