Inside The Craft-Led Luxury Dog Brand Changing Pet Style
From Italian vegetable-tanned leather to real-world training insight, Australian brand PK9 Gear is redefining what luxury means for discerning dog owners.
4 min
For many luxury consumers, the idea of premium pet accessories has long been synonymous with designer logos and glossy marketing.
But in Melbourne, professional dog trainer Chris Loverseed is quietly reshaping the conversation around what true luxury dog gear should look and feel like.
As founder of PK9 Gear, Loverseed sits at the intersection of functional performance and traditional craftsmanship, creating handcrafted collars, leads and harnesses designed first and foremost with the dog in mind.
“As trainers, we work with dogs in real-world environments every day, so that experience directly influences how we design every piece of gear,” he told Kanebridge News.
Unlike many mass-produced pet accessories, PK9 Gear products are developed through hands-on training rather than driven by aesthetic trends.
“One of our core principles is that we only design and sell products that we genuinely use ourselves in training,” he said.
“Unfortunately, many brands create products simply to look trendy or appealing on social media, with very little consideration for how they actually function for the dog or the handler in the real world.”
For Loverseed, product development begins with performance, ergonomics and canine wellbeing.
“When I design a product, I always start with a dog-first perspective, and then consider the handler.
“That might mean looking at how a collar sits on a dog’s neck, how a lead feels in the handler’s hand, or whether a tug toy gives the dog the right grip and satisfaction when they bite.
“If a product doesn’t improve the dog’s experience and make handling easier, we simply don’t make it. That philosophy sits at the centre of everything we create at PK9 Gear.”
Defining luxury beyond logos
In a crowded market of designer-inspired pet accessories, Loverseed believes true luxury is less about branding and more about authenticity.
“Standing out from mass-produced pet accessories is actually quite simple. Using ethical labour, quality materials, and genuine craftsmanship already sets you apart from much of the market.
“But defining luxury is more complex, because luxury can mean different things to different people.”
He sees a broader shift taking place among consumers who are increasingly questioning what luxury really represents.
“I believe there is also a noticeable shift happening in the market.
“With USA tariffs and those viral videos showing how many “luxury” handbags are actually manufactured, consumers are starting to question whether luxury is simply a price tag or something more meaningful.”
Instead, he points to a growing appreciation for understated design and meticulous detail.
“For me, it is twofold. First, I believe quiet luxury is becoming the new flex, where quality and craftsmanship speak louder than visible branding.”
His work with high-net-worth dog owners has reinforced this belief.
“As a professional dog trainer in Melbourne, I work with several VIP clients who live in $40 million plus homes.
“One thing I have noticed is that people at that level are rarely trying to impress others with logos. They value craftsmanship, authenticity and products that are simply made well.”
Materials also play a defining role in the brand’s positioning.
“At PK9 Gear, we take the opposite approach. We use premium vegetable-tanned leathers from Italy, sourced from tanneries that are part of the Pelle Conciata al Vegetale consortium.”
These traditional tanning methods prioritise durability, natural finishes and longevity. Hardware choices are equally considered, with solid brass, stainless steel and 24-carat gold PVD stainless steel used across the range, alongside hand-stitched construction techniques.
“For us, luxury is not about logos. It is about craftsmanship, integrity in materials and creating gear that is functional, beautiful and built to last for both the dog and the handler.”
The rise of Australian craftsmanship
As global consumers move away from fast fashion and disposable purchases, Australian artisans are finding renewed recognition.
“Australian craftsmanship is definitely gaining global attention, and I think part of that comes from consumers moving away from fast fashion and mass production,” Chris said.
“People are beginning to value products that are made properly, with care and attention to detail.”
PK9 Gear reflects this shift by offering both accessible performance-driven products and highly bespoke pieces that showcase traditional leatherworking techniques.
“Traditional handmade products naturally come at a higher cost because of the time, skill and materials involved.
“That alone places them in a more premium or luxury category, but many consumers are now willing to pay for something that will last longer and has genuine craftsmanship behind it.
A trainer’s favourite companion
Despite working with a wide range of breeds, Loverseed has a clear personal favourite.
“If I could have only one dog breed it would be a Rottweiler,” he says.
In a luxury market increasingly driven by authenticity, longevity and meaningful design, PK9 Gear represents a new kind of status symbol.
One that values quiet excellence over overt display and performance over perception.
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From auction floors to TikTok — the professionals who made property education a public good
6 min
Australian property has always been a national obsession, but the way Australians learn about it has changed fundamentally. Where previous generations relied on a real estate agent’s advice and a bank manager’s approval, today’s buyers and investors are walking into the market with suburb-by-suburb data, auction strategy insights and valuation knowledge that would have required a professional consultation five years ago.
The ten creators on this list are the reason why. What distinguishes them from the broader landscape of property content is not their following size but the professional substance behind what they publish. Most have spent years doing the work, valuing, buying, negotiating, financing, before they ever picked up a camera. The audience can feel that difference, even when they cannot articulate it.
Today’s buyers are walking into the market with knowledge that would have required a professional consultation five years ago. These ten creators are the reason why.
1 –Tom Panos: Founder, Real Estate Gym
Tom Panos is the highest-profile real estate trainer in Australia, which is a distinction earned over more than two decades of working directly with agents, auctioneers and principals across the country. The content he publishes, on auction strategy, market psychology, agent mindset and the mechanics of negotiation, is backed by a career that predates social media by years.
What makes his presence exceptional is that he speaks to both sides of the transaction simultaneously. Agents follow him for craft. Buyers and investors follow him for intelligence. It is a rare position, and it explains why his audience has grown consistently through every market condition since he began publishing.
2 – Belinda Botzolis: Certified Practising Valuer; Founder, “The Valuer”
The gap that Belinda Botzolis identified and occupied is one that, in retrospect, seems obvious: professional property valuation, made accessible on social media. With seventeen years of practice as a Certified Practising Valuer, more than 15,000 individual property valuations completed, and over $12 billion in real estate assessed, she brought to social media something most content creators in this space cannot fake, a professional opinion.
The response has been significant. Over 20 million TikTok views for valuation content is not an accident. It reflects an audience that has long wanted access to qualified property analysis and found it, for the first time, without having to pay for a report.
3 – George Markoski: Founder, Positive Property
The credibility order matters in property investment content. George Markoski built a portfolio of more than 100 investment properties and retired at thirty-seven on passive income before he built a social media following. That sequencing, wealth first, content second, is the foundation of why his audience trusts him with decisions that carry six and seven-figure consequences.
His content covers RBA decisions, APRA changes and property cycles with the kind of strategic depth that comes from having navigated them personally. He is not forecasting the market from a position of theory. He is reporting from a position of ownership.
4 – Ravi Sharma: Founder, Search Property
Ravi Sharma‘s differentiator is structural: he runs an actual buyer’s agency. The suburb analyses, growth projections and investment frameworks he publishes on YouTube and social media are not constructed for content, they are the methodology his business uses to advise paying clients on real transactions. With more than 114,000 YouTube subscribers and a Bachelor of Business in Real Estate, his content sits at the intersection of professional advice and public education.
The result is content that reads like genuine analysis rather than commentary, because in most cases it is.
5 – Damien Cooley: Director, Cooley Auctions
Damien Cooley has called more auctions on live television than almost anyone in the country, a five-time premiere auctioneer on The Block, and 2015 Auctioneer of the Year. As Director of Cooley Auctions, his authority comes from decades on the rostrum in front of real buyers and real stakes, not from a studio.
His social presence extends that same on-the-ground credibility online, breaking down auction strategy and market sentiment for an audience that wants to understand the mechanics of a sale, not just the result.
6 – Ella Cas: Buyer’s Agent
As a buyer’s agent operating across Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs, Ella Cas brings professional transaction experience to a TikTok presence that covers market trends, price predictions and first home buyer strategy in the Victorian market. What distinguishes her content from general property commentary is its specificity: she is talking about markets she works in, for outcomes she is paid to deliver.
For Melbourne buyers navigating one of Australia’s most competitive property environments, that local professional knowledge, delivered in an accessible format, is exactly the kind of content that earns genuine audience loyalty.
7 – Gavin Rubinstein: Founder, The Rubinstein Group at Ray White TPG
Gavin Rubinstein built The Rubinstein Group at Ray White TPG into one of Sydney’s highest-performing individual real estate practices, and his Instagram engagement outranks every major franchise account in the country. That distinction matters: he is not a media personality who sells property, he is a top-performing agent whose content reflects live transactions in one of Australia’s most competitive markets.
For buyers and sellers trying to understand how Sydney’s top end actually moves, his day-to-day content is closer to a transaction diary than a highlight reel.
8 – Robbo Roper: Mortgage expert & home buyer connector
Robbo Roper‘s content sits at the junction of property aspiration and mortgage reality, which is precisely where most first home buyers get stuck. As a mortgage expert and home buyer connector, he publishes short-form video that walks Australian buyers through the finance side of property ownership: what to expect from a broker, how to prepare for a loan application, what the common mistakes look like.
His placement in Favikon’s Top 20 Australian real estate influencers for 2025 reflects an audience that is not just watching but acting, the kind of content engagement that distinguishes an education account from an entertainment one.
9 – Michael Biviano: Property developer; business coach & real estate strategist
Michael Biviano built his platform on the strategy side of the business, working as a speaker, business coach and property developer before turning that experience into content for agents and investors navigating the industry. His focus sits less on individual listings and more on the frameworks behind sustainable success in real estate.
That distinction, teaching the business of property rather than just showcasing it, is what places him among the professionals worth following rather than just watching.
10 – Consulting by PK: Investment property educator
The property content space has no shortage of people telling audiences what to buy. What is rarer, and more valuable, is someone teaching them how to decide. Consulting by PK builds investment theses from actual data: top 5 per cent growth property analysis, cashflow modelling, suburb research methodology, the frameworks behind the conclusions rather than just the conclusions themselves.
With more than 60,000 YouTube subscribers, the audience that follows this content is a specific and self-selecting one, investors who want to understand the process, not just receive the output. That is a harder audience to build and a more durable one.
What this list reflects, taken together, is a professionalisation of property content in Australia. The era of anonymous property spruikers making market predictions without credentials or accountability is being displaced, slowly, but measurably, by practitioners who are willing to put their professional reputation behind what they publish. That is good for the industry. It is better for the buyers.
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