Children grow fast, very fast and this growing process triggers the expenses of buying clothes. But this extra expense of families is not the only problem: there are also tons of waste generated by the industry that manufactures these outfits and that, in many cases, are almost unused.
Enter Ryan Mario Yasin, Master of Engineering Design at the Royal College of Art in London. Tired of the tyranny of fast fashion, he used his personal experience and knowledge in aeronautical engineering to create Petit Pli, a line of sustainable children’s clothing.
That is to say, that it grows at the same time as the children who use it.Its secret is a pleated structure, inspired by the ancient Japanese technique of origami, which extends as an accordion to fit comfortably from four months to three years. “When I met my nephew months after he was born, I saw that the clothes I had bought him no longer served him,” Yasin explains by e-mail about the origin of his invention. “It was then that I realized that it was necessary to wear clothes of the same size for all the years.”The materials used for its manufacture are ultra light, soft, waterproof and breathable.
A blend of synthetic fibers, in the process of being patented, that allows the folds to be permanent and that the garments can even be washed in the washing machine and with cold water. Just what these little elite athletes need, they usually grow up to seven sizes in their first two years. “The design is actively transformed with the movement of the child, without being bulky or restrictive,” says the inventor.
“We have tried them repeatedly with parents and children with excellent results.”At the moment, they will only make functional clothes for the day to days, such as rain and windproof jackets and pants. But his team is already working on designing new garments to expand the range of models and styles.At the age of 24, the idea has just given Yasin the prestigious James Dyson 2017 design award in the United Kingdom.
This award, in addition to an injection of 2,200 euros for his project, will give him access to the international round, where he will opt for the final prize, about 35,000 euros. According to him, this would allow him to “continue investing in R & D to offer the best product in terms of design and quality”.In addition, to mitigate the effects of wear and tear, the new designer wants clothing to combine competitive prices with “quality, ethics and smart design” in addition to “helping to raise a new generation with fewer consumer values ​​”. Although it aims to focus on unisex models for babies and children, it is also developing prototypes of adult garments. Perfect for when we grow in width.