If you’ve ever attended a baby shower, you’ve probably seen piles and piles of new clothes just waiting to be worn… and soon forgotten. Most of the clothes from these piles will only be used for a couple of months - parents are then forced to spend their own money on new clothes to fit their fast growing child.

Fortunately, there is now a solution for clothes fitting for way longer than we’re used to.

It was invented by Ryan Mario Yasin: he had studied Innovation Design Engineering and created his own line of clothing after buying baby clothes that would no longer fit his nephew because he grew too fast.

Petit Pli’s clothing line has stretching material. Source: Dezeen

Yasin, the founder of Petit Pli, aims to help parents save their hard-earned money and stop the wastage of clothes by designing a clothing line that won't only grow with kids but is comfy at the same time. Now, parents won't have to head to the store each month as their children outgrow their old clothes.

The pleats from Petit Pli's clothing line allows the material to stretch. This means the kids can still use the clothes even though they are going through growth spurts. Regardless of the size, Petit Pli's pleated fabric will remain a perfect fit.

This wonderful solution was discovered because of Yasin’s familiarity with the research and design of deployable structures within the aeronautical industry like small satellites. These structures require the scrunching up of carbon fiber panels, so they only take up small spaces. They also unfold by the time they are deployed.

This new line of baby clothing means lots of saving on money and materials. Source: Dezeen

When you pull the clothes from Yasin's clothing line, they "unpack," meaning they stretch when children wear them. The collection also features windproof and waterproof outerwear that can fit kids ages 6 to 36 months. Usually, this period requires a change of at least 6 clothing sizes. With Petit Pli, you only have to buy one size, and you don't have to worry about your kids outgrowing their clothes. 

According to Yasin, by creating clothes for kids that can last longer, waste within the garment industry is significantly reduced.

Petit Pli's clothing line can last up to 36 months without having to purchase a new size. Source: Tree Hugger

"Kids outgrow clothes at such a fast rate, but we still choose to clothe them with mini adult clothing. We should have produced clothes that can be used by kids for a long time. This is what I'm doing: redesigning children's garments," Yasin said in an interview.

Yasin experimented with hundreds of fabrics including cooking fabrics and adding pleats. As of now, he is raising funding for Petit Pli. A few batches of his clothing line will be released in the UK. He's also looking for manufacturers that have high ethical standards.

The graduate exhibition of Royal College of Art, which was where Yasin got his Master's Degree, ran from the 24th of June to the 2nd of July at its London Kensington campus.