Just like the city that became its home in 2011, Shinola hustles harder. To paraphrase another local tagline: Nothing stops Shinola from extending its reach.
The luxe retailer's latest product line is for the dogs: pet leashes, collars, toys, beds, shampoo and our favorites -- parody-ready pooch postcards ($3 each) and journals ($18).
Bruce Weber tells Women's Wear Daily: " I have that American Indian philosophy about animals because they have such a great connection to their animals. It's almost spiritual."
The cards and notebooks are illustrated by high-fashion photographer Bruce Weber, a lifelong dog owner with a show of his Detroit work at the DIA through Sept. 7.
Weber, who lives in Miami and also shoots ads for Shinola, talks with CBS Morning News (above) and separately with Lauren McCarthy of Women's Wear Daily about about the pet project and what it's like to work with dog models. Excerpts from his replies:
I hadn’t been shooting [dos] as much as I usually do, so this was a good reason to. Like all models, they have good days and bad days. Certain ones are temperamental, and other ones are very easygoing. They get really depressed when shooting is over. Dogs are so unique. . . .
So many people at Shinola have several dogs. It’s kind of like a dog playground. . . .
I went to meet Tom [Kartsotis, the founder of Shinola], and I just liked him. I liked his philosophy about what he wanted to do to bring back business by using American-made products. It reminded me of my dad, who ran a business in a really small town in western Pennsylvania. It connected me to home.The Olsen twins brought us together, and then Tom asked if I wanted to come to Detroit and do some pictures.
-- Alan Stamm
