The Streets Of Shanghai Have Turned Into Fashion Runways For These Stylish Dogs

These days, it is not uncommon to see pet dogs donning dresses, blouses, sneakers, bow ties, and even raincoats along the sidewalks of China’s commercial hub.

Chinese locals enjoy dressing up their pets like their own children, so much so that fashion for pets has blossomed into a big business in the country.

According to Yourpet Market Research Institute, at least 40% of mainland Chinese pet merchants also sell pet clothing, as quoted by AFP.

The industry generates revenue of up to RM75.2 billion annually and is, in fact, predicted to increase by 20% every year thanks to millennials and their growing spending power.

A survey conducted by China Daily in 2015 revealed that Shanghai has at least one million registered pet dogs and about 100 million in the whole of China.

That’s a lot of dogs!

Zhang Jiequn, a psychologist at Shanghai’s Huada Institute of Applied Psychology, said that for many Chinese, pet ownership is considered an escape from interpersonal relationships, reports AFP.

“The pet becomes a projection of the opposite sex for some people who do not find a partner,” she told AFP.

Dog ownership rates have also increased along with the nation’s fast-expanding middle class.