In 2007 I moved from Lithuania to Copenhagen with my family. That same year, we welcomed Zara into our livesâa pint-sized, sassy, and hilariously grumpy pipsqueak. She would shake like a leaf until my mom put a sweater on that she made herself. It was like flipping a switch; she would wiggle around, totally transformed and full of joy with the confidence of a dog twice her size. Watching her shine in her cozy sweaters sparked an idea!
One day in late 2018, it realised: my mom had a talent that the world absolutely needed to see. She had an eye for design and a creative mind buzzing with ideas. I suggested we share her beautiful creations with others, igniting a spark that led to the birth of Pupperito. I also saw the profound impact that a simple sweater had on Zaraânot just in terms of warmth, but in how it brought her out of her shell and made her shine. We opened our Etsy shop fully believing that everyone would want unique, stylish, and top-quality pet apparel. But reality hit hard – we made a whopping one (!) sale in a whole year of 2019 đ€Ż
Despite our rocky start and challenges, my mom kept knitting, thinking how great it would be to make this into a business while doing what she absolutely loves. After two years of almost no sales, we finally saw things take offâdreams do come true âșïž
But In 2020, our world was shook – Zara passed away unexpectedly. The grief was overwhelming, and we paused Pupperito, unsure if we could carry on without her. But after reflecting on all the love, time, and effort poured into this venture, we decided to keep Zara’s spirit alive through our work, turning cats and doggos from around the globe into Pupperito models. Even the name âPupperitoâ was inspired by Zara, who loved being wrapped in a blanket – a dog and a burrito, which perfectly describes Pupperito.Â
As a graphic designer, I got to flex my design muscles and give Pupperito a bold and playful visual identity. I help find yarns and materials, and help design our products. I think we make a great teamâmy mom and I are best friends, collaborating to create a brand that reflects our shared passion. We also realised that pet fashion market was saturated with either boring, bland or tacky and cheap-looking pet fashion, not to mention low quality, mass-produced or machine-knit ones.
Our mission? To create stylish and unique pieces without compromising on comfort, warmth and quality. We always hand-knit our clothes with the highest quality wool and other premium materials. Each piece is crafted with hours of labor and a whole lot of love! Without sounding too cheesy… but when you shop with us, youâre not just getting a sweater; youâre taking home a piece of our heart.
Weâre a small family business, and every piece is lovingly handmade in very small batches. Each item is made to order, and any leftover fabric or yarn is reused for small accessories â ensuring nothing goes to waste.
We keep things simple, natural, and sustainable â from the materials we choose to the paper packaging your order arrives in. Our products are made to last, and we encourage caring for them rather than replacing them.
Instead of fast-fashion brands that mass-produce, we believe in investing in high-quality, lovingly made goods that will serve for many years to come.
Zaraâs spirit continues to inspire us, and we still have big dreams for the future. Despite the challenges along the way â from those early years without a single sale, to facing off against a big fashion brand (we won!), and even the heartbreaking loss of our beloved furbaby â weâre still here, stronger than ever. đȘ
A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing customers â past, present, and future. We truly couldnât have made it this far without you. We promise to keep spreading joy and positivity by creating quality pieces that make both you and your furry friends happy.
So dive in, explore, and join us on this silly, heartfelt little journey.
Give me 10% off my order!
…and send all the cute dog pics my way!