The Petit Pli Fashion Brand Develops Clothes That Grow With Children. Here Are the Implications Of This Innovation

The fashion industry has always been a fun place to be in because it is filled with lots of beautiful innovations and solutions to the problems of many. One of such problems or pain points for parents is the fact that children grow very fast and they need new clothes faster than expected. 

The Petit Pli fashion brand was created to solve this problem.

The Petit Pli fashion brand was founded by 26-year-old Ryan Mario Yasin who is a graduate of the Royal College of Art masters programme in Innovation Design Engineering. The idea for the brand started when Yasin experienced how the speedy growth of his niece and nephew led to a huge amount of garment waste. 

The brand was created with the aim of clothing the future of humanity, starting with the next generation. Its founder has the desire to change and slow down fashion for the better and to offer superior garments, intelligently designed to further humanity whilst considering our environment.

Petit Pli was brought to life to serve a need in the fashion industry, a need for innovation, a need for sustainability, a need for high ethical standards, and to serve its young users, they deserve something designed from the ground up for them, not miniaturised adult garments. – Ryan Mario Yasin.

With his background in aeronautic engineering, Yasin was able to devise a pleating system that allows for bi-directional growth to custom fit a range of 7 children sizes – from 9 months to 48 months old. The clothes which are made from recycled plastic and the company’s patent-pending growth technology are a sustainable childrenswear option for every young child. 

Petit Pli outfits are said to be breathable, lightweight and rainproof to allow for children to be able to wear them in any condition. They are also said to be agile which allows for free movement as children go about their daily activities. The concept of Petit Pli is built upon using materials sustainably.

Through its approach towards sustainability, Petit Pli hopes to instil slow-fashion values in growing children by inspiring them to value longevity and innovation in clothes. Because the Petit Pli outfits are made from recycled fabrics and a mono-fibre construction, all of them can be easily recycled at the end of their use.

Pros of the Petit Pli Technology

The Petit Pli technology is one that is highly innovative and that has many advantages to it. They include;

1. It Helps Parents Save Money

Raising children can be very expensive and one of the reasons for this is that they grow very fast and therefore require new clothes sooner than adults. With this growth technology, the need for parents to buy a whole new set of clothes for their children ever so often reduces. 

Since their technology allows parents to stretch out outfits to continue to fit their children for 7 sizes as they grow, 1 Petit Pli outfit replaces 7 traditional outfits.

2. It Helps Reduce Plastic Waste in Society 

The amount of plastic waste in society is becoming rather alarming and many designers in the fashion industry are creating ways to help reduce this waste. The use of recycled PET bottles by Petit Pli is very welcome as it helps reduce the amount of plastic waste in society. So far, Petit Pli has up-cycled approximately 12,841 PET bottles through their manufacturing process.

3. It Reduces The Brand’s Carbon Footprint

Concerns over the amount of CO2 that is released into the atmosphere by practices in the fashion industry is rising and many brands are beginning to looks for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Through their practices, the Petit Pli fashion brand has been able to reduce CO2 emissions at the point of production, distribution and after purchase. 

4. It Reduces the Number of Clothes that End Up in Landfills

Since the clothes produced by the fashion brand can stretch up to 7 sizes and can be recycled at the end of their use, there will not be a need to discard of children’s clothes as often as is the case now. This will, in turn, reduce the number of clothes that end up in landfills. 

Concerns Over the Petit Pli Innovation

1. How Durable is the Fabric Used?

Seeing as the little ones are expected to wear these clothes for quite a while, concerns over the durability of the fabric used in their production arise. For these clothes to be a truly sustainable option, they have to be durable to the point where wear and tear do not happen to them quite as easily as they do to other fabrics.

If the clothes are not very durable and if they fade with time, they might just end up being discarded in landfills quite like all other outfits and this will defeat the purpose for which they were made.

2. How Resilient are the Clothes When Faced with Constant Tugging?

Children are amazing little beings and very active ones at that. They love to pull and tug on things while at play. So, for the Petit Pli clothing to be suitable for them, it has to be resilient when faced with constant tugging from children. 

When tugged constantly, will the fabric go back into shape or will it lose its growth ability altogether and become slack and undesirable?

3. How Sustainable is the Polyester Synthetic Material Used in the Clothing Outfits?

Petit Pli says they use materials sustainably, but how sustainable are the materials used in the production of the clothes. Seeing as they use a polyester synthetic material, it means that the materials they use are not natural and therefore not very sustainable. 

Synthetic materials are petroleum-based and shed plastic micro-fibres when washed so they still serve as a form of pollutant to the environment. The concern now is that if the Petit Pli fashion brand keeps using synthetic fibres they might also be adding to the waste and pollution in the environment. So, are they planning to shift to more sustainable materials in future?

What do you think about this innovation by Petit Pli? What are your concerns and your views on this innovation? Do you think this innovation will be well accepted by all? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.