Welcome to our IZEA interview series with influencers and marketers of all niches to highlight their journeys, share their insights, and inspire! Today we are influencing with Maitri and her pug, Ari.
Influencing With Maitri and Ari of @HoneyIDressedthePug
Meet Maitri and Ari, the influencer and pet duo behind @HoneyIDressedthePug. Their 63.2K Instagram followers tune in for vibrant, color-filled lifestyle, home and fashion posts featuring the pair in matching outfits, out and about, or in their cozy NYC apartment. Maitri started her account when she lived in London and has since expanded it to include home decor content — with appearances from Ari, of course.
Could you tell me about yourself and your Instagram account?
“I have a background in fashion. I love dressing up and wearing good clothes. It’s one of my passions. I’m originally from Mumbai. I moved to the U.S. for three years to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). I already had a degree that I got in India but I went back to school (at FIT).”
“I started my account in 2016 in London about five years ago (after attending FIT). I started my account as something on the side. I always worked in fashion — in fashion styling, specifically — and I had a job in fashion production. I was missing the creative side of working in fashion, so when my pug was one year old, I thought, “I am going to style my dog and me in matching outfits.”
“I started taking photos on the weekend and started my Instagram called @HoneyIDressedthePug because it was all about dressing up my pug. We were twinning — it was when twinning became a thing — I did that for two years, grew my account to about 20,000 followers and then I moved to the U.S. (I was only in London temporarily, I was always going to move back to the U.S.) And then HoneyIDressedthePug became more than just matching outfits. It was more lifestyle as well — it was my home.”
“I didn’t realize that I could actually make money from this until I moved back to the U.S. in 2014. DSW was the first brand that approved me for a collaboration and that’s when I realized there was money that I could make, and I could also work with human brands. I didn’t have to be a dog account.”
Describe your content now.
“It is happy and fun and colorful. I always want to be colorful, because I’m from India and colors were something I grew up with. I always wear color so I wanted my Instagram to also be very colorful.”
“Slowly over the years I started introducing more of my home, which my followers love so much. My followers pushed me more into that direction and now home has become a huge part of my account. Ari and I still wear matching outfits, which people love. Ari still makes appearances in some of the posts but for now my account is more home, lifestyle and Ari. Fashion is also still very much there but it’s not the main aspect — the main aspect is home and lifestyle.”
What gave you the idea to dress your pug in matching outfits?
“I wanted to do styling again. I used to work at a magazine in Mumbai. I was a senior stylist for Harper’s Bazaar India. When I left my job to move to the U.S. I couldn’t get a styling job here because I came here on a dependent’s visa. I had to go back to school and I never got into fashion styling again. So I really wanted to style someone and my dog was so cute in clothes. From the time I put him in a sports jacket before he was even a year old, he just looked so cool and so dapper, so I said, “You know what, if I want to style someone, I’m going to style Ari.” It was the start of the dog fashion industry so there were not many (pet fashion) brands, and there were brands I worked with back then who are very big now and we know each other from five or six years ago. Now there are so many options for pet clothes.”
“Photos always look great when things are coordinated, so I thought us coordinated in matching clothes would make for a great image. So that’s how I started.”
“Initially it was solely street style, no home options. I had a friend who was a photographer so she didn’t charge me much and we would go around London — London is very colorful — and we would take colorful photos in front of doors and murals and things like that. From the first day, every time people would stop us and comment on how cute it was that we were matching.”
“Six years later Ari has such a big wardrobe. He is probably one of the most well-dressed pugs around.”
Have you ever gone viral?
“Not as much as other people do, but it’s happened to me a couple of times. Once in London we had this really cute photo of Ari and me against a pink Figaro, it’s a cute little car. That photo really went viral and I got thousands of followers, views and likes. That’s the first time I went viral. The only other time was last year when I posted a Reel of my apartment. I did a home tour and it got a million views.”
“On TikTok a few of my videos have gone viral. I’m not even that active on TikTok but the algorithm has been kind to me. I was literally just posting the same videos I was posting on Instagram and on TikTok I went viral about five or six times. One of my videos has 3.1 million views and every time I went viral I would get thousands of followers, so now I have almost 50,000 followers on TikTok without even putting in much effort and I’m getting so much work. In fact, this year I’ve signed more contracts for TikTok than Instagram.”
Are you focusing more on TikTok now?
“I’m focusing more on video. I have started posting much fewer photos because videos I can post from both the platforms (TikTok and Instagram). Since TikTok is doing so well, I am also making an effort to create content just for TikTok. My followers on both are totally different. I don’t have an overlap. Even if I post the same content it’s seen by a totally different set of people, but I am trying to diversify Instagram and TikTok rather than posting the same thing on both.”
“People want to consume more video. Video is the way to go.”
What tools or apps do you use to stay organized and create content?
To organize I use the Preview app when I plan my feed. For my videos I use Splice mostly to edit all my videos. For filters I use Tezza and VSCO. For photos I also use (Adobe) Lightroom.”
Have you worked with IZEA?
“I have worked a lot through IZEA. Through IZEA I have been doing regular work.”
What tips would you give a new influencer?
“Post every day or post at least five times a week. Find one thing — or two or three things — you really like and that sets you apart from other people.”
“Doing the same thing over and over again is also rewarded by the algorithm. Your followers know what to follow you for. Find your niche.”
What keeps you motivated?
“I am enjoying the process of doing my home. I keep doing things that keep me excited. I get to do what I enjoy doing.”
“There are always phases when you need to take three or four days off, recharge and then you feel better and you come back. It’s important to take those breaks to recharge.”
What are your goals?
“My goal is to expand more into home. I want to get more into doing other people’s places, specializing in small spaces. I am making my Instagram more home-focused and I want to do more projects, makeovers and get my experience. I have interior designers who follow me and they tell me you don’t need a degree, you just need to start doing this. Of course, Ari is always going to be a part of this.”
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
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