Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Welcome to Racked's Pet Week: five days' worth of coverage for LA's most stylish furry friends.
We first witnessed Wildfox's animal-friendly ways two years ago, when we visited the LA label's dreamy studio in Echo Park. Now, just in time for Pet Week, co-founder Kimberley Gordon is giving us an exclusive first look at her latest design, which happens to be a tribute to her photogenic two-year-old cat, Joan Hemingway.
What's Joan's adoption story?
We met Joan because our friend found her meowing in a tire pile behind his house in Mount Washington. She was so tiny and perfect. Someone had to take her, so it was us.
What inspired the Joan sweater?
Joan has always been my muse—I paint her and photograph her constantly! Everyone who meets Joan—friends, animals, babies, allergy people—they all obsess over her because she will sit on anyone and sleep. If you sleep over at our house, you will wake up with Joan staring at you, purring.
What are Joan's most adorable habits?
She is so overweight (somehow? Okay, we feed her…) and lies around everywhere on her back. She is constantly sleeping or laying down. She spends about 2% of her day playing with her friends. I have prepared a collage for you:
Amazing. So, are cats easier to take care of than dogs?
No because they are always a bit wild, but Joan is so easy because all she does is eat and sleep.
Got it. Do you have any cat care tips?
Have tons of places for them to climb up and crawl under, and give them lots of treats.
Back to the sweater. What has the response been like?
The sweater got a lot of attention from buyers, which is really exciting for me. I hope to see Joan's face all over the place—maybe even in street style during fashion week!
Wildfox's Joan sweater ($198) will be available online and in-store starting January 2015.
· Wildfox [Official Site]
· Inside Wildfox's New Bieber-Friendly, Dog-Friendly Digs [Racked]
· Photos: Inside Wildfox's Fantastical Flagship on Sunset [Racked]