Outback Tails was a passion project Jessica Knight started in 2019 to run alongside her other pet accessories brand DOOG (Dog Owners Outdoor Gear).
“I wanted to incorporate my love of Indigenous Australian art into some beautiful dog products,” she explains. “I also wanted to find ways to give back to Australian wildlife and create something really sustainable and uniquely Australian in a pet line.
“I love that through this brand I can try to make a difference by creating products from concept stage that are better for planet earth. I’ve also chosen to work with suppliers who have similar values and work with me to create a range that has a smaller environmental footprint.”
The range was initially created for the export market, but the brand was so well received here in Australia that she decided to start offering it wholesale here and it has been growing with huge momentum ever since.
“Not being able to travel to meetings and do tradeshows overseas has meant that I haven’t been able to grow the brand much internationally in the last 12 months. Luckily, sales in Australia have boomed since Covid hit, so overall sales are up 300 per cent. Everyone buying dogs over that time has really helped me grow the business so I’m grateful for that.”
When Knight came up with the brand concept the aim was to manufacture the products here in Australia, but that has been a bigger challenge than she ever imagined.
“To make one dog bed here costs me five times what I can make them for overseas. It’s really sad that there are so few options for us to make products in bulk here at an affordable price point. This year I will be launching a high end ‘Made in Australia’ line for those customers happy to pay more for Australian made.”
Outback Tails is the only pet accessories brand working with and giving back to Indigenous artists. All of the products celebrate Australian Indigenous art or native flora and fauna, and represent all that is beautiful about our amazing country, Knight says.
The Indigenous range is designed in conjunction with the Warlukurlangu Artists Centre in Yuendumu.
“I’m drawn to the more contemporary pieces which is why my range includes so many of Pauline Napanagardi Gallaghers artwork. I license her paintings and they are sent to me for digital printing and 10 per cent of all sales go directly back to benefit Pauline and her community.
“The dog toys are my little creations inspired by my love of Australian native wildlife. I work closely with my supplier to make them as sustainably as possible using only natural and non-toxic materials such as jute and vegetable dye, so they are really safe for dogs to chew and play with as well as being eco-friendly.
“The desert dog range of chew toys are all inspired by and named after the camp dogs that live at the arts centre in Yuedumu and 10 per cent of proceeds from the sale of those goes back to the Aussie Desert Dogs Rescue Program there.”
King tends to try and spread the donations to different wildlife projects.” I really love what the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) stands for and they also have a close connection with Indigenous rangers and Indigenous land management, which complements the values of the Outback Tails brand message.”
Read more in our Autumn digital magazine.
