It’s International Dog Day! So we’ve decided to shine a spotlight on some of our favourite businesses that have a focus on man’s best friend. Introducing Active Creatures.

Created by husband and wife team Cameron and Melody in their hometown of Melbourne, Active Creatures is a luxury sportswear brand for people and their pets. Their design philosophy is to create stylish, comfortable activewear for women, and beautifully designed jackets and coats for dogs.

However, this is not what the pair had in mind when they launched their business in 2014. The initial plan was to create and produce clothing for women who did pole dancing as a fitness alternative. It was niche, to say the least.

While the business was doing well both here and overseas, rolling out shows in Las Vegas and securing resellers in the USA and Europe, the pole dancing industry (even internationally) is small. It wasn’t long before Cameron and Melody  came to the conclusion that for their business to move beyond being a ‘hobby’, they needed to find a profitable niche.

That’s when they pivoted and turned their focus to women’s sportswear. Still, they didn’t get enough traction, going toe-to-toe with the big players. It was around this time that Cameron noticed when customers would repost themselves in their clothing on social media, there was often a dog in the photo. The more they became aware of it, the more they saw it. Dogs lying down in the background of an image, posing, or photobombing a shot of a woman dancing or practicing yoga – it almost became comical how frequently dogs would appear.

A couple of Melody and Cam’s dogdie daywear creations

And so, they pivoted again and they have since carved out a new category that they can call their own, creating activewear for people and their pooches.

“We’re the first to admit, the world doesn’t need another black legging, but perhaps what it does need is a brand whose quest is to inspire people to enjoy their best day – everyday – with their dog,” Melody says.

“So we design, manufacture and retail matchy-matchy sportswear for women and their pet dogs. Think matching women’s legging and dog jacket. Or women’s bomber jacket and dog coat. Another fun fact, we only sell Active Creatures on our website activecreatures.com. So if you love what you see, just know, there are very few women and dogs rocking the same outfit. And we reckon that’s something to bark about,” she laughs.

As the owners of two Weimeranian furbabies, seven-year-old Conan two-year-old Barbie Doll, Melody says they too, are obsessed with their dogs.

“They are our world. But we’ve got more love to give so Cam frequently invites the neighbour’s dog into our house to hang out. And when Cam’s not at home, he’s often walking and training other people’s dogs in the local neighbourhood,” she says.

“There is so much happiness and joy that is shared between a person and their dog. And often the connection with our dog is unlike any other we experience because it provides such a sense of calm and balance, against a backdrop of a chaotic life.”

Want more? Get our newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! Follow Kochie’s Business Builders on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.