1 of the family

About this time last year, Aaron Chan studied the family photo cards that started trickling in with the holidays. As president and owner of Hawaiian Moon, an island-wear company, he had more than a passing interest in the clothing families chose, and there was one particular oversight that bothered him.

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"Hawaiian Moon's primary focus is ohana wear, and I noticed that on these Christmas post cards everyone was wearing matching prints, except the family dog."

Chan said it wasn't jarring if the dog was au naturel, but frequently, the rest of the family might be in a blue or green aloha print, and the dog would be in a vivid, mismatched yellow or orange aloha print.

"That's how it started. I thought, these are man's best friends, we gotta get them something."

It wasn't long before Hawaiian Moon introduced doggie aloha shirts sewn from the same fabrics and exclusive prints as the company's human-oriented clothing. A few months ago, Hawaiian Moon also introduced doggie halter and tank dresses.

"There's only so much you can do with an aloha shirt, but our designers could really get creative with dresses that also make it easier to accommodate the dog. They're more versatile and adjustable, fastened with Velcro."

Unfortunately for Buster or Bruno, the dresses are so much more user-friendly than shirts, that many a boy dog has been sporting the girly look about town, though it's still a small dog -- less than 45 pounds -- phenomenon. (Larger dogs can be accommodated through special orders.)

Chan, who doesn't own a dog, acknowledges that dressing a pet may seem kitschy or over the top, but he takes this project seriously, consulting with owners and trainers to get it right.

"People who know dogs have given us a lot of help and direction. Our dresses are longer over the back than the belly to avoid exposing their skin to the sun. Some dogs have sensitive skin and their owners put them in dresses to cover them up. We want them to be practical as well as cute.

"It seems strange to people who don't own dogs, but these owners don't have kids, so I guess their dogs are their kids. One owner I know has eight dogs, and each of her dogs has a business card, and they have their own blogs and networks."

The doggie apparel sells for $34 apiece, and will be available in Pet Spot's Pearlridge, Ward Warehouse and Kaimuki stores by the end of the month, in addition to Hawaiian Moon's two locations at Ward Warehouse and the second level of Waikiki Beach Walk.

Strangely enough, the doggie line is helping to call more attention to the human side of Hawaiian Moon's business.

"We had a fashion show of our ohana wear and a lot of dog owners weren't aware that we carry (human) clothing," Chan said. "People just love spoiling their dogs, but now they'll also buy a matching outfit for themselves because they want other people to know they're associated (with their pet)."