Fashion designer Josephine Roberts is enjoying success with BillowK9

The 25 year old, who grew up in Escrick, launched BillowK9 in February this year.

And now Josephine Roberts plans to expand her clothing range after a successful year, selling the garments at events and markets around Yorkshire and the Manchester area.

Josephine, who was born in Dewsbury, came to York at the age of 7 and attended Fulford Secondary School and then York College, earning an Extended Diploma in Art & Design.

She later studied Fashion Design and Marketing at Northumbria University Newcastle, where she studied clothing design, manufacture and marketing.

Josephine said: This is invaluable and helps me a lot.

That led him to win a scholarship with the clothing company TU.

Josephine continued: Amazing, I designed a hit collection for them. But in the end, I realized that working in the corporate industry just wasn’t for me. As I know I want to make my own creative path.

Before creating the Dog clothing brand BillowK9, I actually started selling my own clothing designs for women. And I’ve had some success from this.

But when I started marketing, doggie drying products quickly took off, and I had to make the decision to put my clothes aside.

Josephine says her love of dogs helped her see a gap in the market for high-quality dog ​​drying products.

This led to me developing my own patterns for dog cloaks and setting up as a small scale manufacturer. I started small at the local market; this is a great way to get my product in front of customers and get my name out there!

It was (and still is) useful to be able to show capes and show how well they fit a dog.

Also, clothing avoids using plastic where possible, making it sustainable and avoiding Velcro losing its stick and becoming useless.

In contrast, using a fixed breastplate and lacing provided a much longer life.

The fitted drying robe also allows the dog to dry off in the car on the way home, instead of scrubbing himself on your couch.

Josephine says social media also helps sell her product, with her receiving a constant stream of images featuring happy puppies at her wares.

Running BillowK9 is Josephine’s full time job, although she does some freelance tailoring.

I am very proud of my main business. It’s hard work but very rewarding.

In the New Year, Josephine will be launching a 2-in-1 waterproof drying robe, with a towel inner layer and a water-resistant outer layer.

She adds: They’re perfect to use on rainy days to keep puppies dry but also double as snug towels. I’m also releasing a limited range of new colors during the spring and summer months, so stay tuned!