One way of celebrating National Hairball Awareness Day is to don hairballs for the big occasion. For NHA Day, jewelry designer Heidi Abrahamson was recruited to create a line of luxury accessories accompanied with hairballs. To commemorate this event in 2011, Abrahamson created strictly female-oriented accessories, but for 2012 her focus is on the men. Eccentric or cat-loving men stock up on cufflinks and tie clips all handcrafted. The sterling silver cufflinks feature orange tabby cat hairs. Who knew regurgitated hair could be fashionable? Heidi Abrahamson and cat-lovers worldwide clearly knew something most didn’t.
What is especially noteworthy is the fact that real cat hair is used. With the assistance of a professional grooming tool known as 'FURminator,' copious amounts of cat hair are collected then molded into trinkets. Although for such a steep price ($227.55 for both) Abrahamson’s Hairball may not be a favorite for all.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Luxury Hairball Accessories
- Creating high-end jewelry and accessories using real cat hair opens up a niche market for luxury hairball products.
- Gender-inclusive Hairball Accessories
- Expanding beyond female-oriented designs to include cufflinks and tie clips for men taps into a previously untapped market of eccentric cat-loving men.
- Innovative Use of Real Cat Hair
- Using innovative grooming tools like the 'FURminator' to collect and mold cat hair into trinkets presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the fashion and grooming industries.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Jewelry Design
- The creation of luxury hairball accessories opens up a unique market within the jewelry industry.
- Fashion
- Incorporating real cat hair into high-end accessories creates a niche market for fashionable hairball products.
- Pet Grooming
- Using grooming tools like the 'FURminator' to collect and repurpose pet hair presents an innovative disruption in the pet grooming industry.
