Everything on this page is made by me, at a bench in Oxford, after you order it. That is the whole operation. So before I use the word designer, I should say what I mean by it, because a good deal of what gets sold as designer dog collars is an ordinary collar with a bigger number on the tag.
Designed, not assembled
A collar is assembled when someone buys webbing by the roll, buys a buckle, and puts the two together. There is nothing wrong with that and I have owned plenty. It is not design. A collar is designed when the material was chosen for a reason, the finish was worked out rather than defaulted to, and the person who made it can tell you why it is built this way and not another way.
The clearest thing I can point at is the Greenwich Yarn. A primary nano cord is whipped over the rope by hand, turn after turn, and then a second accent colour is worked over the top of it. That second pass is the point of the whole thing. It is what gives the collar its depth of colour and the ridge you can feel under your thumb, and it is why two collars built on the same base rope can look nothing like each other. It takes considerably longer than a single binding. I keep doing it because I have not seen anything else that looks like it. See the full Greenwich Yarn collection →
The materials, by name
British wool, in the Sheep Shed range. The Brampton, the Dingley and the Swaledale are the heaviest and most tactile things I make, and they are the reason people describe this as a luxury dog collars UK sort of workshop rather than a rope one. Wool behaves differently to synthetics: it holds colour softly, it ages rather than wears out, and it is warm in the hand on a cold morning. See the British wool collection →
Woven cotton, in the Cotton Mill range. Cotton woven in Yorkshire, cut and finished onto veg-tanned leather. It is the quietest of the ranges and the one I would suggest if you want a collar that reads as a piece of clothing rather than as equipment.
Veg-tanned leather, including the Cotswold Heritage sighthound collar, which is cut wide at the throat so the load is spread across a hound's neck rather than concentrated on it. Veg-tanned hide is slower and dearer to buy in than chrome-tanned, and it is what I use, because it darkens and softens with the dog instead of cracking. See the leather collection →
If you are comparing designer dog collars UK makers, the useful question is what is actually done by hand, and where. Here it is all of it, in one room.
Choosing your fittings
The hardware is your decision rather than mine. Depending on the piece, you can have brass, nickel, stainless steel or zinc die cast in black or gun-metal. Which of those are offered varies from product to product, so each product page lists what that particular collar or lead can be built with, rather than me promising one metal across the whole range. Sizing works the same way. These are made to your dog's measurements, not to a size chart somebody else drew up.
Designer dog leads to match
Most people who buy a collar here come back for the lead, so the designer dog leads are built from the same materials as the collars rather than to sit near them. The Greenwich Yarn leads take the same hand binding. The Brampton and the Swaledale leads are the same British wool. The Cotton Mill leads are the same woven cotton. If you want a matched set, order them together and they will be made at the same time, from the same material, so the colours agree.
What you actually get
Nothing here is sitting in a box waiting. Each piece is cut, worked and fitted after you order it, which is why the lead time is 2 to 6 working days and why personalisation is possible on most of the range. Prices on this page start at £38.
Everything I make is guaranteed for twelve months. After that, if something goes wrong, send it back and I will repair it at cost plus postage. That is not a marketing line. It is simply what is possible when one person makes everything and can therefore mend everything.
Common questions
What makes these designer dog collars rather than ordinary ones?
Named materials, a named maker and a technique you can point at. Every collar here is made to your dog's measurements at my bench in Oxford, in British wool, woven Yorkshire cotton, veg-tanned leather or hand-bound rope. Nothing is bought in finished and rebadged.
Is there a dog collar designer behind these, or is it a brand name?
There is no dog collar designer in the fashion-house sense. There is me, a bench and a set of decisions about material and finish that I can explain one at a time. I draw the ranges and I make the pieces.
Are these posh dog collars, or are they built to be used?
Both, I hope. People do call them posh dog collars and I take the point, but a collar that cannot go through a muddy field is an ornament. Wool, cotton and leather are all fine for everyday walking. If your dog swims most days or likes rolling in things, say so when you order and I will tell you which range actually suits.
Can I get a matching collar and lead?
Yes. The Greenwich Yarn, Sheep Shed and Cotton Mill ranges each include leads made in the same material as the collars. Order them together and they will be made at the same time so the colours agree.
How long does an order take?
2 to 6 working days. It is made after you order it rather than picked off a shelf.
