A woman who spent years collecting her pet rabbit’s fur has revealed how she turned the strange hobby into a booming business.
Josie Francis, 29, from Los Angeles, California, adopted her long-haired Lionhead rabbit, named Phoebe, back in 2021.
Josie explained during a recent chat with DailyMail.com that she has to brush Phoebe’s long and fluffy fur once per week to keep it from getting too tangled, and she began to notice that every time she does, quite a lot of it comes off.
Because it was so ‘soft and luxe,’ Josie said it felt like a ‘crime’ to let it go to waste, so she started storing it in Ziplock bags.
‘Part of having a long-haired rabbit is regular grooming – so every week, I brush her. And every time I do, I end up with tufts of her fur. She sheds a lot,’ she explained.
‘Her fur is so soft and luxe that throwing it away felt like a crime… So, I started saving it in Ziplock baggies.’
Josie spent two years collecting Phoebe’s fur, and after gathering four full gallon-sized bags, an idea dawned on her: she could turn it into something she could wear.
‘For the longest time, I wasn’t quite sure what I’d do with it,’ she continued.
A woman who spent years collecting her pet rabbit’s fur has revealed how she turned the strange hobby into a booming business
Josie Francis, 29, from Los Angeles, California, adopted her long-haired Lionhead rabbit, named Phoebe, back in 2021
Josie explained that she has to brush Phoebe’s fur once per week to keep it from getting too tangled – and she began to notice that every time she does, quite a lot of it comes off
‘After tossing around a bunch of ideas, I landed on something I’d actually love and wear often – a beanie!
‘A sustainably made, rabbit fur beanie, crafted from Phoebe’s own fur, just felt right.’
She soon enlisted someone to spin the fur into yarn, and another person to crochet the yarn into a beanie, and it came out perfectly.
She described the accessory as ‘unbelievably soft and cozy,’ and after getting tons of compliments on it, she realized that others may want one too.
‘The beanie turned out exactly how I imagined. I wanted a bonnet-style hat with long strings that you can tie, and that’s exactly what we made,’ she shared.
‘Everyone who’s tried it on looks so cute in it, and they’re unbelievably soft and cozy.’
She and her best friend eventually teamed up to launch their business Fuzz & Fuzz, where she now sells more beanies made from Phoebe’s fur.
But they don’t come cheap, as each hat is priced at $200.
Because it was so ‘soft and luxe,’ Josie said it felt like a ‘crime’ to let it go to waste, so she started storing it in Ziplock bags
She soon enlisted someone to spin the fur into yarn, and another person to crochet the yarn into a beanie
She described the accessory as ‘unbelievably soft and cozy,’ and after getting tons of compliments on it, she realized that others may want one too
She and her best friend eventually teamed up to launch their business Fuzz & Fuzz, where she now sells more beanies made from Phoebe’s fur
‘Each beanie is hand-spun and hand-crocheted from Phoebe’s ultra-soft fur, making it a one-of-a-kind, sustainably made piece,’ shared Josie
‘Each beanie is hand-spun and hand-crocheted from Phoebe’s ultra-soft fur, making it a one-of-a-kind, sustainably made piece,’ shared Josie.
After opening up about the endeavor online, Phoebe was flooded with positive comments, and she’s now been inspired to create more products from Phoebe’s fur.
‘That’s just the beginning. We can’t wait to bring more playful, thoughtfully made pieces to life,’ she gushed.
‘People have fallen in love with Phoebe and her cuteness, and we’ve even received tons of comments from people who are inspired to try something similar with their own pets’ fur.
‘The feedback has been absolutely amazing, I’m so proud of this project and Phoebe is pretty stoked too.’
