From haute couture to hound couture: Greyhounds take to the catwalk for NZ Fashion Week

Greyhounds took centre stage at New Zealand Fashion Week last Friday, as part of a bold new campaign to drive adoptions for charity Greyhounds as Pets, via Special. 

With greyhound racing set to be banned in New Zealand from August 2026, more than 2,500 dogs will soon need urgent rehoming.

It presents the most significant animal rehoming challenge in history, exacerbated by the fact that greyhounds have a brand problem – the breed isn’t even in the top ten chosen for adoption and makes up only 1.5% of the registered dog population. 

Greyhounds undergo a rebrand

During the canine fashion show, titled Greathounds, greyhounds strutted their stuff down the ‘dog’walk in bespoke outfits designed by a dozen of New Zealand’s most iconic designers, including Karen Walker, Sylvester, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Twenty Seven Names, Trelise Cooper, Penny Sage, Caitlin Snell, Swandri, Nom*D, Bendon, Sonnie and Kowtow. 

It was the first phase of an ongoing campaign aimed at rebranding greyhounds, transforming them into this season’s must-have dog to drive desire and demand for the breed. 

Now, the campaign lives on through strategic media partnerships, OOH, and social to dispel myths around greyhounds and further cement why they’re the unexpected perfect choice for a pet.

A perfect runway

Special founder, Tony Bradbourne, says, “Fashion Week gave us the perfect runway to start our reframe and adoption drive with real impact. The coverage has been incredible. Huge thanks to our 12 incredible design partners – Karen Walker, Sylvester, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Twenty Seven Names, Trelise Cooper, Penny Sage, Caitlin Snell, Swandri, Nom*D, Bendon, Sonnie and Kowtow for jumping onboard with such passion. It’s the start of the campaign, not the end, but it’s a dream start”. 

Dan Ahwa supported the agency as creative Director and stylist across both editorial and out-of-home content shoots, as well as the NZFW show.

He was joined by Mara Sommer, who captured the editorial and OOH imagery, and Leah Mitzahi, who led the art direction. Lumo supported the campaign through digital and standard OOH. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about Greyhound As Pets you can visit its website: https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/