SHANGHAI — In 2019, when Lu Yanyang, a recent graduate with a degree in fashion, was searching for her niche in the business world, she realized there was an untapped opportunity in China’s burgeoning pet market: Pets are often fashionably dressed, but owners had no options for coordinating their pets’ outfits.
A year later, Lu launched GIGIWAWA, a fashion brand in Shanghai that offers matching outfits for pets and their owners, specially designed to fill this gap.
“The word ‘gigiwawa’ describes the intimacy between pets and their owners,” Lu, 30, told Sixth Tone. “It’s like a ‘parent-child’ relationship. People love their children unconditionally and give to them without expecting anything in return. The same can be said about pets.”
And in Shanghai, a city bustling with fashion trends and the pet-friendly space, GIGIWAWA found the perfect demographic: the brand quickly resonated with young, stylish pet owners who see their pets not just as companions, but as an integral part of their lifestyle and self-expression.
When Lu launched GIGIWAWA in 2020, the concept of pets and their owners wearing matching outfits was almost unknown in China. But now there are more than 10 new brands in the space, most of them small and medium-sized enterprises, Lu said. Other brands that initially focused only on pet apparel have expanded to offer coordinated outfits as well.
What’s more, established brands such as Muji and Banana Inn have also entered this niche market, introducing pet lines that complement owners’ outfits. “As more companies enter the market, consumers’ understanding of pet fashion will deepen,” Lu says. “We can’t do this alone. It takes a joint effort from the entire market.”
The idea for GIGIWAWA was born from Lu’s personal experience: in her hometown of Shenyang in northeastern Liaoning province, her family’s Pomeranian was always dressed in fashionable clothes and accessories, and she noticed a growing enthusiasm for pet fashion among her friends.
But while there was a wide variety of clothing options for pets, there weren’t any matching options for owners. “I realized there was a need, not just among friends, but among many pet owners,” Lu says.
Lu moved to Shanghai in August 2019 and, with the support of a startup subsidy from the Shanghai Municipal Government, launched GIGIWAWA in 2020. The company now has four employees and sells its products on e-commerce platforms, in pet shops, and at conventions.
Matching clothing for pet owners is a specialized niche market, but Shanghai’s welcoming environment for innovative concepts has proven beneficial, Lu said. Shanghai hosts large pet-related expos and exhibitions every year and has earned a reputation as China’s pet-friendly city thanks to a growing number of pet-friendly shopping malls and facilities.
China’s urban pet market has experienced significant growth in recent years: by 2022, the number of pets is expected to reach 116.55 million, with the consumer market size surging to 270 billion yuan ($38 billion), up 8.7% year-on-year.
The pet clothing market is also expanding, reaching over RMB 3.5 billion in 2020. As more and more Chinese households keep pets, and the demand for personalized and customized pet clothing increases, industry analysts expect both the market size and growth rate to continue to grow.
The rapid growth of the pet market reflects changing lifestyle preferences, with young Chinese people increasingly preferring independent living and opting for pets over traditional milestones like marriage and childbirth.
Similarly, many seniors rely on pets for companionship after their children leave home, and Lu believes this demographic shift is a key driver of the increased demand for pet products and services.
Building your brand
Despite the booming market, Lu admits that breaking into a new niche business wasn’t easy: “The hardest part of starting up was finding a designer who could really bring the soul of the brand to life,” she says.
After interviewing several candidates but failing to find the right fit, Lu turned to a friend: “At the time, she was working for a well-known clothing company, but after hearing my idea, she quit her job and came to work with me,” Lu says.
Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leading to the postponement of fabric fairs and a shortage of materials that met Lu’s high standards.
She quickly adapted, traveling to the southern city of Guangzhou to find a suitable fabric supplier. “We believe that pets are part of the family and deserve the same quality of life as their owners,” Lu said, adding that all final products are made in Shanghai.
GIGIWAWA’s primary market includes fashion-forward pet owners aged 25-35 who enjoy the companionship of their pets and are willing to invest in a shared lifestyle. These consumers not only seek new experiences, but also demand high quality and aesthetic appeal from products.
To this end, the brand launches a series of matching outfits for pet owners twice a year, in March and September, offering 10 to 40 new designs in each collection. The average price of a set of matching outfits is around 700 yuan.
One customer that particularly impressed Lu was a retired woman in her 60s living in Shanghai who loved traveling with her poodle and was looking for matching outfits for the pair. “The photos she posted showed the pair traveling around the country in matching outfits. Seeing her wearing our designs and living life to the fullest was truly moving,” Lu says.
Zhang Jianying discovered GIGIWAWA at Pet Fair Asia. “I finally found the matching outfits I’ve always wanted,” says the 29-year-old. While acknowledging that their clothes have a higher retail price, Zhang emphasizes their quality, saying they “symbolize the strong bond between owners and pets.”
GIGIWAWA debuted its designs at Shanghai Pet Fashion Week in October, and prior to that, held its own fashion show at the Bund Financial Centre. Beyond clothing, GIGIWAWA also organises events tailored to pet lifestyles, with over 30 events this year alone.
Lu wants to transform matching outfits for pets and owners from a novel idea into a widespread lifestyle: “Our goal is to show that our clothes can become part of pet owners’ daily lives and suit different occasions and scenarios,” she says.
Lu says she has had constant support from family and friends throughout her venture, including her parents, who run a construction company and have offered invaluable advice on starting a business, and her husband, a financial investment expert who also invests in the pet industry.
Although he only has three years of experience, Lu said he already has a deep understanding of the pet market, which he said is still in the growth stage, not yet saturated and evolving in terms of norms, standards and accessibility.
“The market is growing and expanding rapidly,” she says.
Contributor: Liu Shuhuan.
(Header image: Lu’s pet dog in his office in Shanghai, December 15, 2023. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone)
