Outerwear that grows with children

It’s a common dilemma when buying clothes for young children—do you get the size they are now, knowing they’ll grow out of them soon? Or get a size or two bigger, figuring they’ll grow into them and last longer?

That was the inspiration for London-based Petit Pli, a line of children’s clothing created by Ryan Marion Yasin. He was disappointed with the dull and ill-fitting clothing he found when he was looking for a gift for his nephew. When he finally found something he liked and gave it to the boy, the garment was already too small.

Yasin, an aeronautical engineer specializing in deployable structures, decided to use his technical background to find a solution to every parent’s problem—and to address the waste inherent in changing out clothes so often.

Yasin developed outerwear that expands seven sizes—from four to 36 months. The clothing features durable pleats that grow bi-directionally to fit a range of sizes. The fabric has been embedded with an auxetic structure that enables the clothing to retain its defined silhouette at different stages of expansion. Ultimately, it means the garments maintain their shape and good looks as the child grows.

Made of breathable synthetic material, Petit Pli shells are washable (the pleats stay in), rainproof and windproof. For more information, visit www.petitpli.com.