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Friday, October 17, 2014

Meet Bodhi - the Pet Dog Who's Also a Paid MENSWEAR Model for Top Brands Including ASOS


Move over David Beckham and David Gandy, because the world of male modelling has a new top dog - quite literally in the form of pet pooch Bodhi. :-)

The four-year-old Shiba Inu - dubbed Menswear Dog - has become an internet sensation after his owners unleashed him into the cutthroat world of fashion
 
The canine has gained over 146,000 followers on his Instagram, where he is seen wearing suits, ties and glasses.


His owners Dave Fung, 29, and Yena Kim, 27 started dressing him up as a weekend hobby - but have since turned their pet’s good looks into a business.

Now big name designers, including Coach, Salvatore Ferragamo, and ASOS have signed Bodhi up as a paid model for their brands.


Pristine pooch: Bodhi models a look out and about in New York's Meatpacking District

Yena said: “We were bored one Saturday afternoon so we dressed Bodhi up in serious menswear.
“When we put the clothes on him he just lit up - he started posing for us and everything.
“He looked amazing, like Fantastic Mr. Fox, so we posted it on Facebook as a joke.
“After receiving such positive feedback, we created a blog for Menswear Dog, and people went crazy - it was even featured on GQ Magazine’s site the next day.”

Now brands send Bodhi clothes to model for them, and his owners shop around for new outfits for him to photograph in.

Yena, a fashion designer for Ralph Lauren, and Dave, a graphic designer, are currently working on a clothing line for dogs and hope to raise money to sponsor rescue animals.

Dave said: “At first people thought we were photoshopping a dog’s head on a man’s body."


Dapper dog: Bodhi has modelled for Brooks Brothers in Summer Wedding Seersucker

"Initially we got some criticism from people who thought he might be uncomfortable in human clothes.
“But it turned into people criticising his outfits and telling us what shirt would look better with what tie - and that’s when we knew we were successful.”

Yena and David, from New York, were stunned when brands started sending them clothes for their pet dog to model.

David said: “Brands were asking us to represent them and we were like, ‘Did we just become agents for a dog model?”

With such a huge demand for their dog’s modeling skills, the pair decided to leave their jobs and focus on Menswear Dog.

The couple have now started writing a menswear style guide book featuring Bodhi - and are also starting a clothing line for dogs.

David said: "We both decided to quit our jobs for this - mainly as an excuse to break from the nine to five and do something less ordinary."


Cool canine: Bodhi poses at home in Sun & Stripes: MWD gear

“Working with Bodhi is like working with any model, sometimes he’s happy, sometimes he’s not feeling it - at the end of the day he’s the boss.”

Yena said: “Bodhi didn’t have any menswear that was his size to wear at appearances - so I sewed jackets and shirts for him.
"We’re trying to come out with a line of sweaters and jackets for other dogs.”

They plan to donate a percentage of each outfit to sponsor rescue animals.

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