If you want to squee with glee, all you need is a bunny sporting an adorable outfit. But it’s not just giggles – welcome to the flourishing world of rabbit couture!
Girl, you’d better thump the runway! Rabbits are flourishing as a popular pet, and it’s no wonder. They’re perfect for most animal-loving households. According to the American Veterinary Association, there are 3.2 million rabbits as pets among 1.4 million U.S. households.
Rabbit parents, like recording artist Karen Tippins, are leaping into the trend with adorable outfits. She has had rabbits for just three years, but already has a closet full of clothes and accessories designated for her furry pets.
(Photo credit: Karen Tippins)
Tippins has even coordinated photo shoots with her pets and published a story featuring them, Snowball’s Bunny Tails, making her a children’s book author. When asked how other people react to her dressed up cottontails, she said, “…People recognize the creativity and are enchanted!”
Breaking Into the Bunny Fashion Biz
Designer Annie Elle, who specializes in bunny fashion, started out making garments for her own pets. Annie has had rabbits since she was a child that she showed at county fairs. When she was in college as a photography student, she wanted to take photos of her bunnies in outfits, but couldn’t find anything that fit just right so she made her own.
Elle knew she was onto something when her husband posted a photo to Reddit of her bunny named Peyton-Pancake in a red dress. It didn’t take long to go viral on the site. And although she works a day job as a Registered Vet Tech, Elle also designs and sells rabbit fashions on her Etsy site. (Photo credit: Annie Elle)
Rabbit Fashion Trends
The growing world of bunny fashion creates an opportunity for pet fashion designers to expand their range of offerings. Bunny Fashionistas can shop for from stylish dresses and adorable accessories such as bows and hats, to more practical items such as harnesses and diapers.
Rabbit pet fashion designers market themselves at bunny-specific events like meetups and the Midwest BunFest, where Annie Elle exhibits every year. Large events like this attract a niche of ‘bun lovers’ who adore anything bunny. Events like this are popping up around the country, as well as within larger pet fashion shows.
On a serious note, bunnies are cute animals that can be stylish, but are not fad fashion accessories. The Make Mine Chocolate rabbit welfare organization estimates that four out of five rabbits are abandoned, neglected, or given to shelters within a year of being given as an Easter gift.
Rabbits are a commitment, not an impulsive gift. Before you bring a bunny home, research the different rabbit breeds available and make sure there’s a right fit.
Laurren Darr is a lifelong pet fashionologist and founder of International Association of Pet Fashion Professionals. Her book, Pet Fashion Industry Patterns, publishes in the spring of 2017.
