Over eight years ago, I welcomed a British Shorthair, Percy Peter Wells, into my family. Ready to spoil him rotten, I was frustrated to find a lack of high-quality cat accessories available—especially products made in the UK that had the comfort and safety of cats in mind.

It's why I created Cheshire & Wain. I wanted to design beautiful, functional and appropriate products for my beloved Percy and other cats like him, as well as support other independent businesses and UK manufacturing. Today, our collars are made locally with love, care and expertise at our in-house workshop in East London, not far from my home. I collaborate with other designers, makers and creatives to ensure there is always a fun and fresh approach to everything we design and make at Cheshire & Wain.

It took extensive research, multiple design iterations and prototypes to finalise our unique cat collar design. Designed from scratch to be the first leather collar to incorporate a secondary breakaway safety catch - it's a product I'm incredibly proud of.

Following the design phase, I sourced the highest quality materials and components to bring the collar prototypes to life. When searching for leather, I found a family-run tannery in Tuscany that has been in business for generations. Italian leather is world-famous for its beauty and quality. The leather we use is responsibly made and a by-product of the meat industry, making it the perfect choice.

The hardware on our collars is solid brass. We use a traditional-style square bridal buckle made by Abbey England, a family run business that holds a Royal Warrant as the official supplier of saddlery workshop materials for Her Majesty The Queen.

Once the leather arrives in London, it's checked by our collarsmith and cut into panels. The leather panels are lined with British suede or soft, natural un-dyed leather, and the straps are cut using a heavy-duty click press machine and carefully stitched. Next, we fit the metal hardware with our signature safety catch, also manufactured in England. Every catch is thoroughly tested before being threaded onto the collar, ensuring your kitty is always in safe hands.

Once the safety catch and hardware are secured, the collars are ready to go to their new owners or be personalised to make them extra special, and this is where you come in. You'll notice that there is the option to add your cat's name or phone number to any of our smooth leather collars. You can choose from silver foil, gold foil or no foil (blind) embossing. To find out more about our cat collar personalisation service, please click here.  

All Cheshire & Wain orders are lovingly packed at our studio and come with a personalised card to you or your feline friend. Our collars come in a Cheshire & Wain gift box, bag, or special edition tin, depending on the item. 

These finishing touches are really important to us; I want to ensure that your cat's gifts feel extra special because I know how important it is for you to care for your cat and give them their best nine lives.