In the changing world we live in, adaptation is essential. But often times, there is a cost associated with adapting. Ryan Yasin, founder of Petit Pli, is one individual who is trying to minimize these costs and adapt sustainably. Petit Pli is a children’s clothing line which expands vertically and horizontally to sustain a child’s growth from three months up until three years of age. This results in less financial and clothing waste when adapting to a child’s growth.
According to an article by The Guardian, Yasin combined his background in aeronautical engineering, fashion design, and origami to create Petit Pli. His idea was conceived after observing how quickly his niece and nephew were growing out of their clothes. This led him to investigate the waste in the clothing industry and its environmental impact.
He found that the volatility of children’s bodies especially within their first years causes financial and environmental waste. The article points to how costly children’s clothing is, saying, “Most children grow by seven sizes in their first two years, and (according to a recent survey by Aviva) parents spend an average of £2,000 on clothing before their child reaches the age of three.” Evidently, Yasin’s product is fulfilling a need amongst young families while doing so in a socially responsible manner.
While the garment has interesting features such as waterproof and machine washable capabilities, I believe the aspect that Yasin should market most heavily is its environmental friendliness. Yasin is challenging fast fashion with his ethically minded produced product. “I became really disheartened about how fashion operates and the unethical aspects of it both on a human level and on a sustainability and resource level,” he says. Social enterprise is on an upwards trend and tying in the positive social mission that his clothing is accomplishing opens a new consumer audience.
While his clothing line will not hit the UK market for a few months, I would suggest that he conducts more market research about the appeal of his clothing design. Customers may be dissuaded by the style of the product, even if the price and story behind the product are meaningful.
Yasin was recently rewarded the James Dyson Award and has been attracting the attention of investors and suppliers. Despite this attention, he is staying true to his social mission.“Making sure there is an ethical supply chain is extremely important to me as that was the starting point to this project. If I veered away from that it would lose its whole foundation and meaning.”
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