A dog dressed as a pumpkin panted as he walked down the asphalt runway beside his accompanying model and couldn't help himself from sniffing every person he saw. It’s not often that a dog is included in a fashion show, but at the Pawlenciaga Inaugural Larry Carlton Fashion-&-Dog Show, high-quality clothes and shelter dogs are a perfect fit.
The first edition of Pawlenciaga, a fashion and dog show, was held at the Vista Greenway Walking Tunnel in Columbia on Sunday, Oct. 5. Models showed off clothes from local designers, then dogs were walked down the runway.
The event hosted models from Strut Talk Runway Therapy, a local nonprofit that helps hurt people find power in their grief. All proceeds from tickets and purchased clothes went to the City of Columbia Animal Services.
Blake Carlton, the organizer of the event and founder of L.A.R.R.Y. Animal Rescue & Rehab, started the event and his nonprofit to honor his uncle, Larry Carlton.
“My uncle, uncle Larry, he died about a decade ago, but he was a huge animal advocate and avid pet lover,” Blake Carlton said. “He picked up stray dogs off the street and made them a part of his family.”
The idea for Pawlenciaga was born when Blake Carlton attended an adoption event hosted by Columbia Animal Services. He said that the dogs were being shown off like they were on a runway. At the same time, Blake Carlton had begun his modeling career. The similarities inspired him to host a hybrid event.
Haymitch, nicknamed hot dog, and his walking Mike strut down the runway stealing the show, Mike in his hot dog costume and Haymitch in his Mustard costume on Oct. 5, 2025. He is home to the Columbia Animal Shelter.
The local designers featured were Arami Couture, Jean Lomasto and Dyes Effx. Lomasto also donated several of her personal skirts and aprons to the show.
City of Columbia Animal Services brought six dogs, and several of the models’ personal dogs and Blake Carlton’s two dogs also made appearances. One of Carlton's dogs, Oreo, was scheduled to be euthanized before Blake Carlton adopted him.
“(Oreo) was on the list to be put down just because shelters can't handle how many dogs there are that need a home,” Blake Carlton said. “And so many of them are really well-behaved and have great personalities. They could be a great friend to someone or to a family and deserve a home.”
David Coleman, a friend of one of the models, said the show was magnificent and spectacular. He and his wife discussed adopting one of the dogs, Jellybean, who he had a particular interest in.
"The name, the personality and he's fat like me," Coleman said.
On the fashion side of the show, Strut Talk Runway Therapy sponsored Carlton and L.A.R.R.Y. Animal Rescue & Rehab because the founder, Lolita Frazier, had her own experience with a loss and finding healing in a dog.
Frazier lost her son, Jordan, to gun violence in 2016. This grief affected Frazier in every area of her life, including her body language, she said. By keeping her shoulders back, chest out, chin up, core tight and her mind right, she found herself able to strut through anything that came her way, she said.
The one thing her son left was his dog, Pluto. Pluto became part of Frazier’s healing process by giving her company and understanding the loss she was experiencing. When Pluto passed away last year, it impacted Frazier in a way she hadn’t expected, she said.
"They're bigger than just animals, and as much as we think that they need us, we really need them," Frazier said.
More information can be found at City of Columbia Animal Services. Information about Strut Talk Runway Therapy can be found on its website.