As a dog owner I was terrified my less pet friendly friends might catch a whiff of eau de pooch around the house. Spraying air freshener with abandon doubtless did little to protect the ozone layer around my little corner of England.
But now fashion house Dolce & Gabbana have come to the rescue with an £84, 100ml, luxury perfume which claims to be ‘an olfactory masterpiece’ for pooches.
The alcohol-free scent is a blend of sandalwood and – what is considered to be a human aphrodisiac – ylang-ylang flowers.
Called Fefé, it is named after the miniature poodle owned by the company’s co-founder, Domenico Dolce and inspired by his love for the cuddly canine which was a gift from his partner Stefano Gabbana.
Hollywood actors Scarlett Johansson and Colin Farrell might be the famous faces that usually front the company’s scents, but they’ve had to take a backseat when it comes to the new fragrance- replaced by a golden-haired poodle, Pomeranian, dachshund and chihuahua.
Apparently Dolce named his pet after one in an old Italian comedy film, saying: ‘It’s the diminutive of Raffaele, which means gift from God. And I, as a good Catholic, considered that this dog really was a gift from God’.
The other ‘gift’ will presumably be in the cash they hope it will bring in from the worldwide pet economy which is estimated to be £250 billion a year. It is expected that this could rise to £390 billion by 2030 as owners continue to spoil their animals with luxury clothes, carriers and toys.
