Fashion was an unlikely industry choice for a livestock guardian dog, but Kobe didn’t like to be constrained by societal expectations. His idea to use his spare floof to keep other dogs warm resulted in Kotes by Kobe – the first ever business to make clothing out of dogs for other dogs.
The Kotes by Kobe range of luxury clothing and accessories was made from our own custom yarn and lining that contained recycled dog fur. Most important, they were made with the spirit of generosity in mind – of Kobe wanting to give his spare fur to keep other dogs warm. With Kobe’s passing, we have closed the chapter on making Kotes.
A few remaining items from our Kotes by Kobe range can still be purchased from here.
Kobe was a hands-on kind of business owner, at least as much as one can be hands-on without actually having hands. He gave input into every decision, from picking fabric colours to choosing accessory styles, and conducted quality assurance checks of everything our suppliers produced. He visited mills and other suppliers personally, picked up fur donated by other generous dogs, attended business meetings and wrote a blog.
Importantly, he was the face of Kotes by Kobe, fronting up at many trade shows and markets through the years to meet his fans.
Alongside the production of clothing for dogs, we started selling our dog fur yarn and a range of handknit woollies under the Woof Wool label. We have a new batch of yarn currently in production and in early 2027, Woof Wool Yarns will be launching as a separate business, with a new range of yarns.
We will always remember Kotes by Kobe as where it all started and as the venture that convinced Kobe he could do anything he wanted in life.
