How VETRESKA blended luxury fashion and pet care to create a global following

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Welcome back, readers!

We have a real treat for you this week - we’ve grabbed an interview with Singapore-based luxury pet brand VETRESKA co-founder and CEO, Donald Kng!

Kng and co-founder Nico Li, who founded VETRESKA in 2017, drew on their training at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology to turn ordinary pet products into functional interior design pieces.

Discover how VETRESKA rode the wave of pet humanisation - especially among affluent, independent women - to become a global pet luxury brand, and where it’s headed next.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

TODAY’S SPONSOR: MONEY.COM

When Singaporean entrepreneur Donald Kng co-founded VETRESKA in 2017, he didn’t just want to make ordinary pet products, he wanted to draw on his background in luxury fashion to elevate day-to-day pet gear.

Kng’s partnership with co-founder Nico Li certainly delivered: think watermelon-shaped litter boxes and cactus-inspired cat trees that double as interior design pieces.

Today, VETRESKA is a global darling in the luxury pet space, beloved by stylish pet parents across Asia and beyond. The brand’s bold, playful aesthetic has struck a chord with millennials and Gen Zers, helping it secure a whopping US$76 million in funding from prominent firms like IDG Capital and ClearVue Partners.

Luxury Pet Care News sat down with Kng to hear how VETRESKA built a cult following, what inspires its wildly creative designs, and where the brand is heading next.

How would you describe VETRESKA in a nutshell?

The whole focus is not only that pets get safety and enjoyment from our products, but also that humans enjoy having our products in their living environment. VETRESKA, in essence, is a people-pet brand that focuses on a new way of living together with your pets.

How did you create the name "VETRESKA"?

It’s actually a combination of the names of our three initial pets when we were in school in New York, Verty, Tresco and Mischka, When you mash them together, it becomes VETRESKA. So really, it's named in honour of our pets.

What inspired you to start VETRESKA? 

Nico and I were both from the fashion industry. We saw women starting to accept new designer brands, that weren’t exactly typical luxury fashion, but still design-focused. Many of them had pets, so we decided to create a designer pet brand that caters to these women and their evolving lifestyle. That’s how VETRESKA was created. A lot of our products and brand story still revolve around the emotional aspect of having pets and wanting a more pet-forward lifestyle.

What would you say is VETRESKA’s “secret sauce”? 

Consistency. We always stay consistent in how we deliver, execute, and present our products globally. Our second secret is being extremely consumer-centric. Everything we do revolves around our customers, from brand building to design thinking.

Were you targeting any specific consumer from the beginning?

Yes, we identified a core group we call the “new generation of women.” Young, independent women who may or may not have families but have more income, more energy, and more “me time.” We built the brand for them. Initially, we started in China because of the strong supply chain ecosystem, but now our headquarters are in Singapore and we’ve expanded to Europe, the U.S., South America, Japan, and Korea.

What trends are you seeing in the premium pet care market in Asia Pacific?

One huge trend recently is humanisation. Pets are no longer just animals, they’re family, roommates, buddies. We pioneered the humanisation trend in China, and it continues to grow across Asia Pacific.

VETRESKA has attracted impressive funding. How is the venture capital appetite for pet brands these days? 

Overall, there’s been a decline in investment in consumer companies, but pet care has been as resilient as it can be in terms of getting funds. Even in today’s climate, we’re still seeing new funding going into pet brands, which says a lot about how the industry is growing.

How do you make sure products work across very different markets like Japan or the U.S.? 

We take a very data-driven approach. We analyse human consumption indexes, fashion trends, and societal data in each market. Our local teams help us interpret that data and feed it into our design HQ. Today we plan 12 months ahead, and we have the flexibility to localise special collections six to nine months out.

Latin America is a surprising growth market for VETRESKA. Can you tell me more?

It’s going extremely well. A lot of our iconic products, like our Cactus Cat Trees or Watermelon Kitty Kove, are visually identifiable around the world. The bright, cheeky colors and playful designs fit well with the Brazilian samba culture and the sunny vibe of South America in general.

You opened your experiential pet wellness concept, Fur, just over a year ago. How is that going?

It’s been great, better than we expected. We have exciting plans to open two more this year and three more next year, bringing the total to six in Singapore. We originally aimed for 10 outlets in five years, and we still hope to achieve that. Eventually, we want to expand globally, to the U.S., Korea, and maybe Hong Kong. We’re also exploring new concepts beyond retail and grooming, something fun and exciting for pet parents.

What challenges have you faced as a luxury pet brand?

Convincing customers of our value as a luxury brand is always a challenge, along with communicating the emotional value and purpose behind our products. And supply chain issues have become a global challenge in recent years.

What’s next for VETRESKA?

We’re launching a new collection called Connect. It’s an innovation that blends human and pet products, gadgets and accessories that work for both. We’re also expanding Fur with new concepts in Singapore and across Southeast Asia, thanks to new regional partnerships.

No plans for the UK yet?

We’d love to, but we usually move deliberately and carefully. We’re still testing the European and UK markets with distribution partners. Once we have a better understanding of customer preferences and what messaging works, we’ll definitely make plans to expand in the UK.

Last question, what do you love most about pets?

The laughter. The world today doesn’t have enough of that.

IN THE NEWS

🇺🇸 U.S. pet services inflation up 4.6% year on year ● U.S. pet services inflation (including veterinary and grooming) is up 4.6% year on year as of April 2025, according to a report by Bank of America Institute. However, U.S. pet food inflation was flat.

🇺🇸 Nearly 8 out of 10 pet owners underestimate lifetime cost of pet care ● According to Synchrony's 2025 Pet Lifetime of Care Study, caring for a dog over 15 years now costs US$22,125 to US$60,602, an average increase of 11.65%.

🇺🇸 Chuck Norris’ Lone Wolf Ranch Pets launches Power Foods Complete ● Lone Wolf Ranch Pets launched Power Foods Complete, a premium air-dried dog food formulated to support muscle strength, joint health, smooth digestion, and a shiny coat.

🇧🇪 The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations appoints new Secretary General ● The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA) has appointed Dr. Sebastian Csaki as its new Secretary General. Csaki will focus on improving the health and wellbeing of pets globally through access to safe, nutritious and sustainable pet food.

🇫🇮 Finnish biotech startup Volare Solutions secures €26M to enhance insect protein technology ● Volare Solutions, which develops sustainable protein from black soldier flies, has secured €26 million from Maki.vc, Firstminute Capital, and Springvest.

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