When Rafael Mantesso’s wife left him on his 30th birthday, she took everything except the dog. Jimmy Choo, their adorable bull terrier, was named after her favorite shoe designer.
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With blank white walls all around him and only the bull terrier for company, Rafael soon filled in the blanks and created a new world for himself, using only a pen and his faithful dog.
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“I created a series of fun, tongue-in-cheek illustrations, portraying my bull terrier dreaming of shoes, relaxing on a sofa with a martini by his side or turning canine DJ on the decks,” Rafael said.
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“Set against a matte white background, the illustrations are humorous and eye-catching.”
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“Many people ask me why I shoot my dog. And the answer is quite simple: he loves to be center of my attention, it’s our moment together, when we have fun,” Rafael writes.
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True enough, Jimmy hams it up for the camera quite as skillfully as most fashion icons, making him an instant Instagram superstar.
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He’s become so popular, in fact, that he’s been honoured with his own capsule collection with the Jimmy Choo brand.
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You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more fashionable dog elsewhere.
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A book entitled A Dog Named Jimmy, featuring over 100 exclusive Jimmy photos, is also set for release later this year.
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But that’s not all — Rafael seems to have found love again.
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Indeed, with Jimmy making waves in the fashion world and Rafael finding love anew, things are surely looking up for this duo…
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… proving that there is, indeed, life after love.
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Follow Rafael on Instagram for more Jimmy. You can also pre-order A Dog Named Jimmy here.