About Theo
Theo was founded in 2004 by Theodóra Elísabet Smáradóttir who is a young, passionate and gifted Icelandic designer with a love of dogs. This combination eventually put her on the course to setting up her own company designing a range of fashionable and edgy clothing for dogs. She studied design and has been involved in it since childhood – the seeds were sown from a very early age and she first took part in a designer’s and craftsman’s show at 9 years old!
The inspiration for the dog clothing came when she realised that her dog Lulli was feeling the cold and the only clothes available were functional rather than stylish so she designed a fashionable fleece hoodie for him to keep him warm. This attracted instant attention and soon she was designing dog clothes for her native Icelandic market. Demand soon outstripped supply and she increased production and opened new European markets and is today well on her way to International recognition.
The difference between Theo clothes and other dog clothes is that Theo’s core range has a Streetwear element to them which makes them very stylish, edgy and unique. However they have emphasis on being comfortable, perfectly fitting and lasting! Theodora has all the materials for her line especially made & the clothes are lined and with incredible stitching details. The clothes are also measured perfectly so that the dog is not restricted in any way once he is wearing them. Another of the great things about the Theo line is that it doesn’t just cater for the small dog. Some of the styles have up to 9 sizes available!
Theo’s amazing adventure onto the dog clothing scene has not gone unnoticed in their native Iceland. In October 2005 Theo won a prestigious entrepreneur award from “Nyskopunarsjodur”, which translates New Business Venture Fund, for their fantastic new dog clothing company. The prize Theo received for winning the competition was 1 million Icelandic Kronas. The award was presented by the then Icelandic Prime minister, Mr. Halldór Ásgrímsson. The competition was open to all new businesses in Iceland and Theo beat many innovating companies such as computer software developers. This award opened many doors for Theo and the company received a lot of publicity and interest from investors. Following the success from this award Theo received another 1st price award from the Icelandic branch of the respected JCI organization in April 2006. This award was a great recognition as well and definitely encouraged Theo to keep up their good work.
In May 2006 Theo participated for the first time in the prestigious Interzoo exhibition. The show exceeded all expectation and was a great success for Theo. Many new business contacts were made opening the doors to even more European markets. Theo got a lot of praise for their unique style, quality and excellent size range.
The world premier of NY Pet Fashion Week took place in New York City on the 19-20 August 2006. This event was a real breakthrough for the canine clothing concept. For the 1st time ever there were runway shows with both human and canine models wearing fashion designed especially for this event. The show took place at the Metropolitan Pavillion in New York City where many famous designers have displayed their lines in the past like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfinger & Ralph Lauren. Theo was amongst 100 companies handpicked from all over the world. Theo had 3 stunning entries in the fashion show and got much attention and compliments for their award winning dog clothing and their first ever designs for humans.
Theo pet fashion can keep your dog warm and cosy in the winter and protect them from the sun & rain in the spring and summer. Our clothes are designed exclusively by Theodóra Elísabet Smáradóttir and offer style, comfort, highest quality and convenience for dogs.
