Animals R People is an Etsy store (http://www.etsy.com/shop/animalsRpeople2 - for those of you not familiar with Etsy it's where super creative people post and sell their goods, ranging from clothes to candles) that local Oregonian, Sabrina Peterson, launched where she sells eco-friendly dog clothes designed from Pendleton wool, jersey knits and old t-shirts. The clothes are to die for.

Sabrina works as an apparel developer/pattern maker for Pendleton full time and this Etsy store is where she sells some of her dog clothing designs! Portland is where so many designers thrive (Vancouver,WA is now the home to the latest winner of Project Runway, Season 7) so it's no surprise to find a local Oregonian designing fabulous hoodies and t-shirts for our four legged friends. Sabrina's designs really stand out - they're not only practical for our weather but super stylish. She's also a teacher at the Art Institute so you can find her teaching a pattern making class there if you're interested in apparel design! Well, I'll be ordering "The Chap" design for my doxie, Bruiser asap!

I asked Sabrina some questions about the shop, her designs and what inspires her:

Q. What inspired you to open the Animals R People 2 Etsy shop?

A. Initially, I was inspired because when I started looking at dog clothes, I didn't like how they fit or wasn't finding the personality that I wanted. I wanted to create dog clothes that a dog could still be a dog in. Clothing they can run around in, keep warm, get dirty and give them the confidence to go out in the rain.

Q. What’s your *day job* and how do you incorporate what you do at Pendleton into your designs?

A. By day I am an apparel developer/pattern maker for Pendleton. I also teach pattern making at the Art Institute of Portland. AnimalsRpeople2 is my love of fashion and animals meeting in the middle. My background gives me the insight to engineer garments specifically fit for a dog. At Pendleton and animalsRpeople2 I thrive on the ability to take a 2 dimensional sketch or material and bring it to life in a three dimensional form.

Q. What materials do you like to work with and what are a few designs you’re currently excited about that are available?

A. I use a lot of Pendleton wool, jersey knits and old t-shirts. Each design is usually my favorite when I am creating it. "The Chap" is one of my favorites because it is unique in it's construction and has a fabulous fit. "Fresh 4 Life" is just a really fun style. "The Literary Genius" and "Wyoming" have lots of options for fabric to choose from to fit your personality and are made from scraps so no 2 are alike.

Q. How would you describe your designs overall? Casual chic…?

A. 1st and farmost I strive for functional well fitted garments with a conscience. The "look" comes after that, overall designs are youthful and fresh but that can be anything from hip hop to western inspired.

Q. Is all the material you use eco-friendly?

A. To make my doggie duds eco-friendly I have been creating with fabric scraps that would otherwise get thrown away. This may or may not mean the fabric itself has been created in a eco-friendly manner. I am also re-purposing old clothing into doggie clothing as seen in the "Recycled Hoodie."

Q. Planning to sell these locally at all or stick to your online shop?

A. Right now one of the advantages of online is the styles are made to order and most of the styles have options for customization. I would like to sell them locally, if local shops are interested they can contact me at animalsRpeople2@mail.com.

Together we could make decisions regarding what styles, sizes and colors are of interest to their specific clientele.

Q. Tell me about your pooches!?

A. I have two pups, Little Biggie and Betsy Smalls. They are both rescue dogs and mystery mutts. Biggie is a chihuahua mix and Betsy is Dachshund mix. They balance out each other's energies. Biggie is a shy cuddly guy while Betsy is a social butterfly. They take turns being scared of different things. Biggie learns very quickly and Betsy is catching up quick. Their small stature is no limitation to their capabilities.

You can also follow the adventures of Sabrina and her pets @ www.animalsarepeopletoo.wordpress.com and follow her twitter @ animalsRpeople2.

Read the entire article HERE