It’s a Family Affair

  • Val Katayama-Lee | Founder

    • High school student and entrepreneur

    • Passionate about visual arts and business, which she hope to pursue in college

    • Plays the violin and electric guitar

    • Loves boba and a tasty bowl of spicy ramen

  • Nina | Quality Control Officer

    • Enjoys car rides

    • Loves a good restaurant patio

    • Favorite food is salmon bark

    • Likes to sing along to live music

  • Theo | Executive Assistant

    • Loves to bounce and spin in the air

    • Enjoys running free at the park

    • Favorite food is peanut butter

    • Free spirit and professional zoomie-ologist

“It was all a dream…..”

Nina & Theo was inspired from a project in high school student, Val Katayama-Lee’s, business class. The goal was to create a product that combined functionality with good design sensibility.

Throughout the years, Val enjoyed putting accessories on the family dogs’ collars (Nina and Theo), but so often they broke and the color would quickly fade. With a background in law enforcement, Val’s mom was also concerned about safety. Most GPS enabled collars were expensive and not customizable. By intersecting design and beauty with functionality and safety, Val designed an accessory to be used alongside the Apple AirTag, which offered an affordable, discrete, GPS tracking solution to keep pets safe…… And what better name to use than her inspirations, Nina & Theo.


Coming up with ideas since 2005……

Meet the Artisans

Several years ago, when family from Brazil came to visit, Val and her mom were impressed by the beautiful, leather sandals they brought as gifts. Not only were they vibrant and unique, but durable and high quality. Eventually they got an introduction to a second generation leather manufacturing company, operated by Luciano Passos. The team consists of a collective of skilled craftswomen, who are committed to creating the highest quality, ethically sourced leather accessories for your beloved pet. Coming from her own family of strong, independent, creative women, it was Val’s mission to support a manufacturer that paid women fairly and treated them with dignity.

At Nina & Theo we pride ourselves on being inclusive. We want every pet and pet parent to feel welcome and represented in our pack. New ideas and feedback are always welcome!

If you have questions about our products, check out our FAQs.