The only part of a lead anybody actually experiences is the handle. Everything else belongs to the dog — the length gets used or it does not, the clip goes on and is forgotten — but the handle is in a hand for the whole walk, and it is what you notice on a cold morning or an hour into a wet one.

Ancol have padded this one, and printed the daisy pattern on both sides so it reads the same whichever way it hangs off a hook or twists in your fingers. The fabric is 100% recycled, and Ancol put an actual figure against that rather than a logo: they state this lead has saved 3 plastic bottles from landfill. There is a D ring set into the handle, put there to carry a matching poop bag dispenser, and the wider Soho collection runs to collars, reversible harnesses and — for anyone who wants to take it that far — hair scrunchies in the same print.

• Made from 100% recycled fabric
• Ancol state this lead has saved 3 plastic bottles from landfill
• Padded handle
• Double-sided print, so the pattern shows either way up
• D ring on the handle for a matching bag dispenser
• Part of the Soho range, with matching collars available

On what a fashion lead is not. No length, no width, no clip rating and no hardware material have been supplied to us for this one, and those are exactly the four things you would want before trusting a lead to a dog that pulls properly. Ancol sell the Soho range on the print; a strong dog belongs on a harness and on a lead whose specification somebody can actually show you. Their claim about weather is a claim about fabric too — they say it suits all weathers, but nothing tells you how quickly it dries out afterwards.

Who it's for: owners of a small or medium dog whose walking equipment is already sorted and who would like the lead to look like something, and anyone assembling the matching set from the Soho collection.