I would take a guess that every parent has experienced the frustration that comes with finding out the shirt that fit your child perfectly yesterday doesn’t fit today. Children produce a high volume of clothing waste before they can even talk.
On average, during their first two years, children go through approximately seven clothing sizes, resulting in a staggering amount of textile waste. Not only does this have environmental impacts, as much of the waste ends up in a landfill, but it also forces parents to buy more and more clothes, which can add up quickly.
The global children’s clothing market is a $200 billion industry, growing faster than the adult market, and expected to reach $300 billion by 2030. This is largely due to the “throwaway” fast-fashion culture that surrounds clothing. Mass-produced children’s clothing is not made to last, so often, the clothing is just thrown away rather than being donated or handed down. Additionally, discarded textiles using synthetic materials can take almost 200 years to decompose.
There has to be a better alternative, right?
That’s exactly what aerospace engineer and RCA Innovation Design graduate Ryan Mario Yasin set out to prove. Inspired by his own personal experience of his nephew outgrowing his gift of clothing in weeks, Yasin was able to combine ideas from space engineering and origami to create children’s clothing that grows as they do.
Launched in 2017, Petit Pli is a children’s clothing company focused on expandable clothing, with the goal of “redefining how kids’ clothes are made, used, and valued”. Yasim was able to develop fabric that can expand in several directions at the same time without losing its shape. Using grid-like folds allows the clothing to stretch bi-directionally as the child grows, while the downward-facing pleats ensure water and things like food crumbs roll right off. Honestly, they kind of remind me of the “popcorn shirts” from the 90s.
Each piece is made entirely out of recycled plastic water bottles, machine washable, and free of harsh chemicals. As of 2023, Petit Plu has sold over 10,000 units to consumers in over 50 countries.
Since the brand’s launch, Yasin has expanded to include a line of adult clothing, including maternity clothes, saying, “In order to increase our impact against overconsumption, we’re working hard at developing our range to encapsulate a wider variety of garments”. Petit Pli earned Yasin a James Dyson Award in 2017 and was listed on the Times’ Best Inventions list in 2020. Petit Pli offers parents a way to buy clothing for their children that will last while they grow and address the growing environmental issues resulting from extreme textile waste by decreasing their carbon footprint.
