Meet Kata and Pepa ⧔ the guards of the XD design center
The largest design center in Croatia has two of the smallest guard dogs. It would be inconceivable if the guard dogs at the XD Xenia Design research center at Ksajpa were Doberman of German Shepards – the only acceptable guard dogs were a native breed – the Small Međimurski Dog or Međi. Two small Međi, to be exact, Kata and Pepa. Their names are familiar to XD fashion devotees because they are incorporated into the title of the capsule line MICAKATAPEPA. Simple pieces made from finest fabrics – tops, tunics, and dresses, both black and white with graphic prints – for years they delight with both wearability and humorous text in the typical dialect from Međimurje. The dialect itself is mostly unintelligible to people outside of the micro-area, but that is where its exclusivity lies. Now we are also exclusively revealing who these two mysterious ‘ladies’ are (the third, Mica, will remain a secret for now).
Pepa was the first to arrive at Ksajpa, in 2014 – the black-and-white beauty is just in line with the signature style of Ksenija Vrbanić. CEO of XD Xenia Design wanted exclusively this native breed, which is in cynological literature described only in superlatives: “A dog with the features of a good guard dog, but not aggressive. Very persistent in work, especially in catching rodents. Reserved towards new people, but loyal and devoted to its owner family members. Intelligent, obedient, and can be trained…”
As Pepa was quite lonely in her first year at Ksajpa and would, after work hours, always visit the neighborhood dog Floki, they decided to get her company. And so, Kata joined her. Kata was still a baby, completely uninteresting in the mischievous Pepa who continued visiting Floki and would often leave Kata alone. Even though they are sisters, sisterly love is not always present. The reason for this is the differences in their characters.
Pepa is a cute and intelligent dog, but also very calculated. She is a real manipulator, her word is always the last – Floki has been her victim for years, her nose is always in his food-bowl. Both Pepa and Kata are natural-born models, posing is suited for their character, so they are always in the frame when a new XD Design campaign is being shot. Shy Kata, on the other hand, flees from the camera.
As we are already creating the psychological profiles of Ksajpa’s guards, it needs to be said that Kata is really a good soul. As she grew up alone, her sister constantly with her friend Floki, she developed a need for different, unreachable beings – deer. She loves to run after them in the surrounding forest, but as far as is known now she never caught one. Both Pepa and Kata are, however, expert mole hunters. Kata diligently digs a hole, finds the mole and drags it to the surface, and Pepa shamelessly takes the catch.
Kata and Pepa are happy dogs who live in harmony with nature and the XD team at Ksajpa. Free as birds, they roam the woods and valleys around the XD design center – they have 2700 square meters available to them without boundaries. They have several couches to use too, and they took hold of several residential areas too. In summer they sleep outside in their doghouses and they spend their days in offices, hallways, in the construction department, in the design department… They know the schedule well, so they come to the kitchen every day at 10.15 – break-time – and wait for food along with the other employees. Everyone likes them because of their good nature, and many show their love with dog treats. Kata and Pepa brought a lot of warmth into the work-space, and the members of the XD team know to appreciate it.
The XD Design center declared itself a pet-friendly company, but it is Pepa and Kata who constrict that status – they never gave a warm welcome to other dogs because they simply cannot stand another dog would set foot on their territory.
