Sonja Farrell Founder of Cheshire & Wain

Cheshire & Wain Q&A

At THE GOOD PET HOME, we're excited to stock Cheshire & Wain, luxury cat accessories made in London.  We caught up with the founder Sonja Farrell to find out how it all began.

What inspired you to start Cheshire & Wain?

I was inspired to start Cheshire and Wain for a number of reasons, firstly because my precious Percy, a British Shorthair, came into my life in 2013. I wanted the best for this little house tiger, and I noticed a lack of high-quality cat products, as well as well-made leather collars with the vet-recommended breakaway catch. Most of the leather collars I can across either had elastic or worst still, were for small dogs with no safety mechanism at all. 

Cheshire & Wain

What's unique about Cheshire & Wain products?

Most importantly, we provide our unique, discreet breakaway clasp that ensures cats will be safe while wearing our collars on their adventures. Our collars are designed with a traditional aesthetic, so the safety element does not take away from the luxury look and feel of the fine leather we use.  

It’s also driven and inspired by my true love and passion for cats! We have the responsibility to give them the highest quality products, as well as love and affection. The brand is inspired by the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, and the artist Louis Wain, giving us a creative, vintage edge, as both appear throughout our collection. 

Where do you source your materials from?

We take the sourcing and manufacturing of our products extremely seriously. The leather and suede we use are sourced from Italy and made into our luxurious collars right here in East London. To keep our company sustainable, we like to use the leather offcuts from the production of our collars to create our range of Leather Cat Teaser Toys. I was surprised how well they’ve done - they are now one of our most popular products! 

We’re also now stocking cat furniture, Round Haus, which is made from ethically sourced birch plywood and made in a studio down the road by furniture designer/makers Lozi Designs. 

Where do you get your inspiration for your collections?

Cats! Trying to think like a cat and imagine what I would want if I were a fashion-forward feline. In reality, it’s from observing the quirks and behaviours of my two cats, Percy and Penelope, as well as the cats I’ve gotten to know in our online community. Like humans, each cat has their own personality, but there are things that can make their lives more comfortable and cosier to ensure they live their best nine lives. 

Cheshire & Wain

What's next for Cheshire & Wain?

There are always new ideas floating around for products, but we’ve saved some back for 2023. It’s really exciting for us to have a physical stockist in New Zealand, we’ve got to know lots of lovely Kiwi cats over the years, and it feels nice that we’ve now got a physical home with you and The Good Pet Home! 

We love the sleek designs of your curated products and how sustainability is built into the bedrock of your company ethos. We’re always looking for ways to do the same, and almost all of our new toys are now made from the off-cuts of our collars and beds - ensuring that even surplus materials can be turned into beautiful items for cats to enjoy. 

You can shop the Cheshire & Wain collection here