When I first got the e-mail from Disney, saying they wanted to collaborate, I thought it was some lame prank. It took some convincing and back-and-forth for me to actually buy it,” says Rashi Narang, Founder and Creative Director, Heads Up For Tails (HUFT).
What Disney was selling, and hoping to sell well now that they have been launched, is a collection of pet care ranging from collars to outfits to bedding to toys and accessories, and more, and they wanted to tie up with HUFT to do that in the country, marking Disney India’s first collaboration with a pet care brand.
HUFT was launched way back in 2008, when Narang, who grew up surrounded by dogs, first met (“and had my life changed by”) Sara. “I was going around the markets, looking for pet products, and back then the items available were so limited I realised that there’s a dearth of quality pet-care products, with only basic collars and bedding and a few other things available,” recalls Narang.
Twelve years later, and with the HUFT X Disney collaboration having launched in mid-October, there’s been a complete paradigm shift in the market. Made in India before that even became a clarion call, first in Delhi and then other production facilities, HUFT has products meant for pets from canines to cockatoos.
Narang works with “a team with the requisite skill sets, whether it’s in designing, fabricating or constantly looking at ways to improve the lives of our furry companions. I still remember when I first started going around to tailors and manufactures around Delhi, while HUFT, and the industry itself, was still very nascent, and all the master-jis and ustad-jis would get highly offended and refuse, saying yeh ladki humaare se kuton ka kapde silwa na chahati hai (this girl wants us to stitch clothes for dogs)’,” laughs Narang, adding, “I had limited orders at the time because many people were still getting used to the idea of buying more than the basics for their pets.”
However, every dog has its day, and those in the Capital, and subsequently the rest of the country, had theirs, with products from HUFT now shipping across India as well as physical outlets across the country (including nine spas, their latest store opening this week in Noida’s Sector-18). And yes, you get your good boy or girl that 101 Dalmatians cushion or bowl for them to keep tilting their heads at.