Get to Know Us! Our Story
Hi I'm Lisa Chief Designer, CEO and Fur Mumma at CBP
From a long as I can remember I've been sewing. As a child I loved designing the tiniest dolls clothes by hand and when my mum taught me to use the sewing machine, I was hooked and even designed my own clothes! Creating new clothing patterns and coming with up designs for accessories is my happy place.
Prior to getting Portia I saw so many adorable dogs in jackets while walking, so I knew that one day when I had a dog of my own she would be the most stylish in the area. It's been fun designing accessories for her and now creating my own apparel line.
Each new dog business will claim they began because they couldn't find anything for their fur friend. When I started in 2016 big box stores hadn't hopped on the dog apparel trend, and what they had, was terrible! So I really couldn't find what I wanted.
I'm super picky about making sure those fabric patterns line up just right, so you won't see any sideways or upside down patterns from me! I don't use glue or add any 'extras' that can't be washed by throwing in the washing machine in a laundry bag. I know you've splurging on my goodies, so only the best quality and detail will do!
My mission is for CBP to be a sustainable business:
- I up-cycle human clothing into dog clothes
- I've donated my bags of fabric scraps to members of the local community to use in quilting, stuffing for toys etc
- I use packaging materials that can be recycled, reused or composted
- The products I design are not FAST FASHION and are for multi occasion wear eg. no one off themed Easter/Halloween bows. All Christmas items are either reversible or able to be worn all 365 days
I have CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) in my right and left legs. My condition means that some days I might not have slept the night before, I may have heightened pain levels and struggle to sit a for too long. I can also have memory issues, no energy and other not very nice symptoms. So for now I'll keep doing this as long as I'm having fun and able to sew.
Life is too short not to be enjoying yourself xx
Portia, Model and Boss
I'm a Shih tzu Lhasa Apso cross, born 26 October 2015 in Dunedin, NZ. I'm a tzuper model who loves wearing bows, dressing up and also playing in mud, puddles and my sandpit.
People ask if I love wearing clothes and my bows and the answer to that is, HELL YES! If I don't want to wear something I'll turn away from mummy but most of the time I'm more than happy to put a paw up to get dressed.
On my walks or at the dog park everyone stops and gives me a pat and tells me how cute I am so, of course I'll keep dressing up, lol. I also love having my photo taken and will happily pose for pics and I don't even need a treat!
If you want your dog to look as cute as me, you'll see that I'm not a tiny shihtzu but a grand tzu and weigh 12kgs. (I wear a size medium in CBP gear)
My motto is walk, sleep, treat, cuddle, repeat! Smoochies P x