Kane & Couture Before Shark Tank
Everyone loves a dog dressed in a cute outfit. However, have you ever wanted to match your dog’s outfit? Amber Lee Forrester thought of the same issue, and launched Kane & Couture to help remedy this issue.
Kane & Couture On Shark Tank
The Sharks in this segment of Shark Tank are immediately smitten with the cute puppy held in the purse of the girl presenting before them. The puppy’s name is Kane, and the woman holding her is Amber Lee Forrester, the founder and president of Kane & Couture. She is seeking a $150,000 investment for a 33% stake in the company. Kane & Couture is a fashionable brand for dogs and their owners, which features matching outfits and glamorous accessories for dogs such as shiny collars embossed with jewelry.
Amber says that she found that most products for dogs were typically plaid and did not look very good on dogs, as well as being overpriced and made from poor products. The dog at her side starts to groan and fall asleep, which causes a reaction from the Sharks. Amber says that underneath the Kane & Couture line, various specific lines of fashion have been created, and calls out for a woman demonstrating the fashion line to come out and display for the sharks what Kane & Couture looks like in practice.
The woman steps out, wearing all black and carrying a black bag that has a Kane & Couture emblem that
matches her shirt. Inside the bag she is carrying is a little Scotty-type Schnauzer dog, poking his head out eagerly as the woman demonstrates. He jumps out, and is dressed up in a classy shirt that actually looks rather cute on the dog. Another woman brings out a pitbull who is wearing a pink, leather collar around her neck, which elicits a cry of awe from Robert who then calls for the dog’s attention. Amber goes on about she is carrying, which is one of the Kane & Couture carriers she designed with a leopard print. Kane steps out, wearing an outfit that resembles a black suit and dress pink shirt with black bowtie.
Daymond asks to see Kane, and Amber lets him go over to see the Sharks. All of the dogs then proceed over to the Sharks, who proceed to look at the clothing and play with the dog. Amber continues, saying that when the owners want to take the dog places and dress them up for other people to look at and enjoy and pet, the option of Kane & Couture is there to deliver a great product. Amber says that she’s had one wedding that the dog Kane has attended in a tuxedo, which elicits a reaction of disbelief and almost annoyance from Mark who performs a facepalm. Kevin asks about a practical question; when you carry a small dog around in a bag for an extended period of time, what happens when the dog has to use the bathroom? Amber says that she simply lets him out of the bag to go, which also causes Robert to glance towards Kevin and then questions if Kevin has ever even had a pet. Kevin says that he wants to know the basics, saying that he just wants to know what happens if the dog decides to go in the bag.
The sharks ask about sales, which Amber says was about $90,000 in her last year through retail and online. Her major retailer so far has been Macy’s, and her projected sales for next year is actually 1.8 million dollars. This causes a confused reaction from the sharks, who then ask for more details. Amber says that she has people ready to order, which means that this holiday she has people who are ready to contribute cash and order products that they like and would like to start a Longaberger Basket type deal, where people have parties to redistribute products in a more controlled fashion.
The sharks then launch a tirade of questions against Amber, wanting to know what the difference is between Kane & Couture and other products since there are essentially millions of different types of dog collars available – Kevin interjects and says that there is nothing that separates Kane & Couture collars from other different types of collars. Robert says that at $90,000, there is no brand there. The sharks continue to question Amber about the history of her brand, and she says that she has been working on it for about four years so far, and finally has been able to launch products recently. She continues on to say that the 1.8 million dollar figure could be conservative because she’s already looking at 7 retailers who want their products, with hard copy orders, and even if she makes it into 10% of their stores, she is looking at a 1.8 million dollar figure.
The Sharks continue to say that the brand is not unique and that the retailers could buy dog “crap” from anybody (which Amber defends), insinuating the idea that the market could easily be taken over by a competitor with access to cheaper means of production. Kevin insists that Amber name one other dog dollar brand outside of Kane & Couture, to which Amber says that she would rather not, since there isn’t one in existence that anybody can know. Kevin folds, and he is out of the deal. Robert says that going from $90,000 to 1.8 million is unrealistic, and he is out as well. Lori says that she thinks that Kane & Couture could go somewhere, and offers a deal upon some contingencies. She thinks Daymond could offer some advice and control over the fashion, offering a double $75,000 investment if Daymond chooses to go in; Kevin attempts to forbid it.
Daymond says that he is scared by the figure that going from $90,000 to $1.8 million, and questions Lori. Lori says that Amber got into Macy’s, and Macy’s is not an easy store to get into. The sharks look to Mark, who said he had no interest in the first place, and is out. Kevin says that if Lori and Daymond do the deal, they would make only hundreds of dollars, while Amber says that she has made more than hundreds of dollars.
Daymond questions Amber about how much those 7 orders would earn her, which she says would be around $400,000 in the next quarter. Daymond offers $150,000 for a 40% stake, which is contingent on a $400,000 promise in opening orders – meaning if Amber does not make the minimum $400,000 in opening orders, she will not receive the $150,000 investment. Amber asks if they would help finance her loan on the upcoming big order, to which both Lori and Daymond agree they would, and accept the deal, giving Amber $150,000 of funding in exchange for a 40% equity split into 20% for both Lori and Daymond.
Kane & Couture After Shark Tank – 2024 Update
As far as we can tell, the deal with Daymond and Lori never went through. Being on the show, however, did give them a considerable amount of exposure, which increased their sales. That ultimately allowed them to expand and grow the business.
Before long, their products were available at over 100 retailers across the country.
By January 2019, however, the company had shut down. Despite that, their website is still up and running as of 2024. There’s also a “we’re going out of business” banner at the top of the page, which aligns with them shutting down. What’s interesting, though, is that it’s been up for several years.
Are they just waiting for the domain to expire? Is that why the website is still online with the “going out of business” announcement? Or are they still trying to get rid of inventory despite it having been several years since they allegedly closed down?
For all we know, it might be the latter. While most of their products are out of stock, including their dog apparel, some items are still available. For example, many of their bowtie collars are still in stock. They also have some leather leashes available and they’ve all been discounted heavily to reflect the situation.
We haven’t actually tried making an order, though, so we don’t know for sure if they still go through or not. As far as we can tell, however, their online shop does appear to be operational. But considering everything, it might be a good idea to send them a message before placing an order, just to check if they’re still shipping products.
Their social media pages also appear to be abandoned. For example, their Twitter account (@kaneandcouture) hasn’t been updated since July 2015. Interestingly enough, their Instagram page was active up until 2019.
What else has the entrepreneur been up to? In 2017, she founded a new company called The Quartz Wellness Collective, which focuses on personal growth and development. According to their website, they provide individuals with life-enhancing tools and resources. Not only do they offer youth coaching programs, but they also offer personal growth workshops and support groups.
Aside from that, she also works as a Consultant and Trainer at Harlem Children’s Zone. That’s not all, she’s also a Curriculum Developer and Facilitator at Depop, where she designs and facilitates programs for US-based Black sellers. Prior to that, she was a Team Coach and Consultant for the Institute for Educational Leadership from 2020 to 2021.
Needless to say, she’s been busy. While her pet apparel company didn’t work out, she has continued her entrepreneurial visions with her new company.
