Petit Pli: Clothes that Grow with Your Child

Petit Pli is a London-based company that designs sustainable children’s clothes, drawing inspiration from origami to create clothing that grows alongside the child wearing it.

Founded in 2017 by trained aeronautical engineer Ryan Mario Yasin, Petit Pli is focused on sustainability in children’s fashion, adapting their clothes to growth spurts, messes, and all the destructibility that comes with children’s play.

The concept behind the company began when Yasin gifted clothes to his new-born nephew, finding shortly afterwards that they were already too small for the fast-growing baby. Children, or ‘LittleHumans’, as they’re known to Petit Pli, go through seven sizes on average between the ages of nine months and four years — seven sizes that are all catered for in one Petit Pli garment.

The tagline ‘Clothes that Grow’ is quite literal: Petit Pli’s clothing is made up of folded pleats, allowing each to unfold into its largest size or be reset into its smallest. As your child grows bigger, the clothes can be gradually unfolded, adjusting for growing bodies without new purchases.

Not only does this save parents money by replacing seven outfits with just one, but it also saves the environment, as Petit Pli clothing is centred on sustainable manufacturing. Less waste means fewer clothes in landfill, while each outfit is crafted out of recycled fabrics. Their monofibre construction also allow them to be recycled once your child eventually grows out of them, creating a circular economy of garments.

Designed in London, the clothes are made in Portugal via a 100% green energy-certified manufacturer, which means that the energy used to make the clothes are all renewable, whether sourced by hydro, solar, or wind methods. Every aspect of the Petit Pli supply chain is conscious of the company’s founding tenets — to mitigate the impact of fashion on the environment.

Sustainability is not the only focus, however: comfort for the LittleHumans is paramount. Petit Pli garments are rainproof, reflective, versatile, and lightweight, with ripstop technology to boost durability.

Silicone grippers maintain the fit of each garment, preventing the pleats from unfolding when you don’t want them to, while adjustment tabs, concealed and reinforced knee patches, and no itchy labels all contribute to making each outfit as comfortable as it can be. Petit Pli recognises that children are ‘extreme athletes’ and made their clothes accordingly: long-lasting durability is built in!

Petit Pli is an incredible approach to sustainable clothing, combining creativity and technology to produce amazing garments. While the waste inherent to fast fashion has long been criticised, children’s clothing seems to have slipped through the cracks until now — making Petit Pli a timely and necessary innovation.

If you liked this article, you’ll find more content like it on our website!