Weizhi

With a personal fascination with Pit Bulls, Zhoucheng Shi wanted to adorn his precious canines with more than just the average dog collars seen on the market. Utterly frustrated with only run-of-the-mill dog collars decorated with punkish-looking spikes, Shi took it upon himself to create the ultimate collar for those elite few who want Fido to sport the freshest and most luxurious gear on the market. The leashes and collars are made from either diamonds or cubic zirconia and pricey leather, as well as sterling silver, 18kt gold and fox fur. To purchase a leash, collar and some fox fur accessories for the leash will cost you a mere $30,000; the collars alone are $3,000 each. Pretty insane for average dog owners if you think about it, but Shi isn’t trying to appease the masses; he wants to cater to a decidedly exclusive crowd who demand unique and out-of-reach accessories.

“As a pet owner, I wanted to adorn my Pit Bull with a special collar and leash that no one else had,” he says. “There was nothing out there that really suited me, so I decided to develop my own line since I knew there were others out there that wanted the same thing.” After creating a silver-lead and crocodile leather collar for his own Pit Bull, Weizhi was born. “The items of the brand are very expensive, and they are not within reach of everyone. I believe only those who share Weizhi’s unique sense of value will love to buy them,” he shares about his targeted clientele. “The people who pick up Weizhi products do so partly because they have the money and want lavish products no one else has. Weizhi develops lines of products, which are surprisingly, but still attractively, different from the expectations of customers who are looking forward to seeing what comes next.”

Weizhi originally means “position” in Chinese. “I named my brand Weizhi in order to always remind myself of my starting point, so that I will not lose the sense of direction,” he describes. Shi recently opened his first U.S. store in West L.A., where he sells his extravagant products alongside other high-end boutiques, and hopes to open many more in the coming years.

Besides his lavish collars, Weizhi also manufactures a high-end clothing line for men and women. “Not long after I created my unique dog collars did I decide to start making clothes,” he says. Still wanting to appeal to a trendy, affluent clientele, Weizhi’s apparel consists of premier denim that features snakeskin patches and jewelry accents, graphic tees for women and men, velour tracksuits, as well as button-down, collared shirts for men. “In the beginning, I tried to design clothes that were a combination of my Chinese heritage with a hip-hop twist, so I basically envisioned musicians and people like that to wear my clothes.” While not as expensive as his dog accessories, his clothing is definitely not for the average buyer. His tees start at $150, with denim starting at $500 and up.