Petit Bateau
Petit Bateau was created in Troyes, France by Pierre Valton in 1893. It was the first company to manufacture cotton undergarments for WW1 soldiers, and produced the first short-legged undergarments for children (the ‘petite culotte’, over 100 years ago), who prior to that merely had smaller copies of the grown-up’s attire. The brand focused on children’s wear and was well-established by 1920, and was awarded the Grand Prize of the Paris Universal Exhibition in recognition for its innovation in 1937. Whilst still fiercely loyal to the childhood concept, it was after Karl Lagerfeld dressed his models on the catwalk in 1996, with Petit Bateau t-shirts underneath their tailored suits that a few adult sizes were introduced. Sales in the ‘Grande’ collection have rocketed in the last few years. The Petit Bateau brand has expanded worldwide and is now more widely known outside France.
