Wee Arnés para Gatos by Shihchang Hsiao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Plata in Diseño de Cuidado de Mascotas Competition Category.

PlataCuidado de Mascotas· 2025

Wee Arnés para Gatos

by Shihchang Hsiao

Client: Hulumao

A' Design Award de Plata Winner in Cuidado de Mascotas Category

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The Design

About Wee Arnés para Gatos

Este arnés para mascotas está diseñado para gatos, permitiéndoles pasear al aire libre. Utiliza una cinta continua de nailon, dos almohadillas suaves, dos hebillas y una anilla triangular. Requiere muy poca costura laboriosa porque se diseñó un pequeño accesorio para formar y mantener la cinta en diversos ángulos, facilitando así su construcción. El arnés resultante es muy ligero: 35g. Esto es apropiado para los gatos, quienes necesitan que el arnés sea lo más ligero posible. El sistema de cierre del arnés utiliza una hebilla deslizante para liberación instantánea en lugar de la hebilla de liberación central más común.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Plata

Wee Arnés para Gatos ha ganado el A' Design Award de Plata, un reconocimiento extraordinariamente prestigioso concedido a diseños de gama alta, magníficos e impresionantes. Los ganadores de Plata son obras tremendamente brillantes y sumamente creativas que ilustran la destacada experiencia, el talento y la agudeza de sus diseñadores. Se espera que Wee Arnés para Gatos sea una obra maravillosa y emblemática, notablemente profesional y profundamente innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Plata es una invención muy notable y admirada que beneficia y hace avanzar las fronteras del arte, la ciencia, el diseño y la tecnología. Wee Arnés para Gatos es una creación enormemente envidiada que evoca deseos, aporta sentimientos positivos y despierta asombro y admiración.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: It mainly uses a continuous strip of nylon webbing and a few accessories to form this cat hardness and also provides one-size-fits-all approach. It requires almost no labor-intensive sewing. The resulting harness is very light weight: 35g or 1.2 oz. This is appropriate for cats, who need the harness to be as light as possible. The harness fastening system uses a slide buckle for instant release instead of the more common center release buckle.
Dimensions & Packaging: Length: 11cm
Weight: 35g
Tags: cat, cat harness, pet, dog, cat leash, hulumao, cat carrier, cat backpack, outdoor, traveling
Production Technology: Production of the harness is quite simple. The fasteners and webbing are sourced from available components on the market. The soft pads are custom-made using a computerized sewing machine. The webbing is threaded through pre-cut slots on the pads. Next, the fasteners are fixed onto the webbing. Finally, the harness is assembled with a little sewing.
Design Challenge: The biggest design challenge was how to utilize a continuous strip of webbing to construct a sturdy harness frame while avoiding laborious sewing. Eventually, the designer found that the webbing can be folded in different angles and shifted in other directions like the pipes inside of a building. Therefore, a small fixture was designed to form and hold the webbing at various angles to facilitate construction.
Research: Most pet harnesses on the market are designed with dogs in mind. Many involve complex construction and heavy duty sewing and are too heavy for cats to use. The webbing on some cheap harnesses is too thin and cannot prevent the cats from escaping. There are also a few holster- or vest-style harnesses available. These are better at preventing the cat from slipping out, but few cats are willing to have their bodies covered in so much material. Cats are sensitive animals. Therefore, the design emphasis of this harness is to be as light as possible, while being easy to put on and take off and preventing the cat from slipping out.
Inspiration: In urban areas, it is common to see dogs on a leash running outside to release their energy. By contrast, house cats usually sit by a window and look outside, seemingly in a daze. Although cats can be skittish, they might also enjoy being outside to satisfy their curiosity. Unfortunately, many pet harnesses on the market are designed only with dogs in mind. Cat owners have limited choices and often must settle for the smallest pet harness available for their cats.
Project Duration: The project started in March 2024 in Taipei and finished in July 2024 in Taipei.
Operation Flow: For initial use, one snap button on the front and one slide buckle on rear webbing loops are unfastened so there is enough space to slide the cat’s head through. After the harness is on, the fasteners are re-secured. Next, the webbing is adjusted to fit the cat’s neck and body. This adjustment only needs to be made once. Finally, the webbing on the cat’s chest is tightened by pulling on the strap. The harness is now ready to use
Team Members: Yuluen Huang
Image Credits: Image #1-5: photographer Shihchang Hsiao, 2024