Introducing | Happy Scrappie

Many of you may remember the charasmatic Jade, The Shelter’s first-ever Manager from when we opened in 2014. Since then Jade’s been working on her own fashion projects and we’re thrilled to launch an in-store pop-up shop for her latest venture for our furry friends ‘Happy-Scrappie.’

Happy-Scrappie is a range of luxury dog beds, toys and accessories. Designed for the well-being of your canine and the planet. Jade’s company is on a big mission to minimise and contribute towards ultimately eliminating textiles waste. Emulating natural cycles, discarded materials become resources for others to use. By collaborating with industry partners to drive the reuse of their textiles off-cuts, deadstock and preventing them from going to landfills. Thereby creating a circular system that fully utilises this untapped resource, as the old saying goes “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”

We caught up with Jade just before the launch of her pop-up in-store this Saturday from 10 am (7^th July 2021) to hear all about her exciting new passion project!

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I like to laugh. Anyone who knows me will attest to that. I don’t take myself too seriously and love when people can laugh at me. I try to spend as much time as I can outdoors with my dog Derek. I prefer summer over winter. I mainly read non-fiction & biographies. I like trees and bees and have a huge appreciation for the arts, design and fashion.

You were with The Shelter from our inception, what did you love about working here?

I loved the luxury fashion brands we stocked. I particularly liked that we supported emerging talent. For example, we hosted Maggie Marilyn’s very first pop up. Pre-COVID, it was great to travel to Paris annually and decide what we would be selling for the next season. The customers that I served whilst managing The Shelter made my time even more enjoyable, entertaining and special.

Sun Slouchers & Badass Bandannas

What was the inspiration behind Happy-Scrappie?

When I went in search of a bed for my dog, I really struggled to find one that offered him the necessary support, as well as looked good in my home and was kind to the earth. I remember thinking to myself, there must be other people who feel the same way I do and was inspired to create the ultimate canine crash pad.

I was also inspired by my grandmother, she was a machinist in South Africa and used to bring home bags of scraps from the factory she worked in to repurpose into clothing for children. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of the two of us diving into the bags to find the best pieces and create clothing together.

Can you tell us about your passion for eliminating waste and your sustainability process?

After working in the fashion industry for over 15 years, I gained insight into the abundance of brands that exist, each producing two to four collections per year. It got me thinking about the environmental impacts of the current scale & pace of production.

I soon discovered that over 100 billion garments are produced worldwide each year with only a fraction ever recycled. Most end up in landfills releasing up to three times their weight in greenhouse gases as they decompose.

I decided to work towards a solution & create dog products that satisfied my aesthetic needs & contributed to minimising & ultimately eliminating textiles waste.

We collect the leftover offcuts, remnants, deadstock, defects & preloved fabrics from our like-minded industry partners, such as fashion designers, furniture craftsmen, interior designers & fabric mills to name a few. Most of which are destined to the dump.

Once at our HQ, we sort & repurpose the derelict fabrics into luxury pet products, to create a more cyclical resource exchange & to prevent them from ending up in landfills.

A large portion of Happy-Scrapie's manufacturing by-products is recaptured by our collaborating partners & collectively we create a circular system.

Can you please introduce us to your dog, what do you love to do together?

I have a three-year-old Golden Retriever/ Border Collie dog named Derek. He is handsome, smart & extremely high energy. We love exploring together & discovering new walking tracks around the city.

Derek is an avid swimmer & loves our beach visits the most. For his second birthday, we packed a picnic, went on a bushwalk, cooled off at the beach & gave him an eye fillet steak. He loved it!!

I enjoy teaching him tricks & he benefits from the mental stimulation. It’s great for bonding & is also fun. So far I have taught him, bang (he drops down as though he has been shot), rollover, sit pretty, spin, crawl, woof (he does this one without instruction quite often), up/ dance, wave, high-five, & my favourite is “clean-up” where he puts all of his toys back into his toy basket after playtime.

What is your favourite Happy-Scrappie product?

My favourite product is the skinny sardine tug toy because Derek and I have a blast tugging at its long trim body. It also floats in the water, so we take it with us on our beach visits for Derek to retrieve.

What is the ‘must have’ dog accessory this season?

The must-have dog accessory this season is the badass dog bandanas. They are fun & add a touch of colour & sophistication while strolling through the park or café hopping.

Are there any new pieces at The Shelter you have your eye on?

I am currently coveting the Private Meditation Dress in black by Bernhard Willhelm & the Sequel Wrap Jacket in sandstone stripe by Symetria.

Zen Dens, Snuffle Stingrays & Origami Bowtie

Discover the full collection of Happy-Scrappie online here or visit the in-store popup, available until Friday 6th August 2021. Bring along your pooch - We're a dog-friendly store!