Petit Pli is an award-winning human-centred wearable technology company. Petit Pli embeds its patent-pending technology textiles to create bi-directional growing apparel - sustainable sizeless garments. Petit Pli's circular approach to garment design and technology significantly reduces waste & emissions generated at point of production, transportation and use. Further, Petit Pli's innovation and designs act on a psychological level reframing clothing and plastic value, along with decelerating plastic obsolescence by extending the use-life of garments to reduce the volume of discarded garments entering the wider environment. Petit Pli achieves this by embedding a patent-pending structure in machine washable, rainproof, windproof outerwear childrenswear ensemble garments and adult face masks. With the closure of physical stores, reduction in global CMT and mill manufacturing capacities, keeping materials in use present and innovating with in the reusable face mask market present as one the greatest points to reduce waste caused by disposable facemask consumption & production alongside protection from Covid-19 infection and prevention of COVID-19 transmission. In this project Petit Pli seeks to carry out experimental research to develop new IP by exploiting research gained from Project 30601, leveraging Petit Pli's existing IP and Beta(MSK) consumer insights to improve the design, antiviral functionality and circularity of its 'one size fits all' growing mask.

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Petit Pli is the most innovative and sustainable childrenswear company in the world. Petit Pli creates 100% PET outerwear ensembles that grow with children, through 7 discrete sizes (fitting children aged between 9 months and 4 years) by embedding a patent-pending technology in garments. With children growing through 7 discrete sizes in their first two years on Earth, Petit Pli's circular approach to garment design and technology significantly reduces waste & emissions generated at point of production, transportation and use. Further, Petit Pli's garments act on a psychological level reframe clothing and plastic value (ahead of an exploding population), along with decelerating childrenswear obsolescence by extending the use-life of garments to reduce the volume of discarded garments entering the wider environment. Petit Pli achieves this by embedding a patent-pending structure in machine washable, rainproof, windproof outerwear childrenswear ensemble garments In this 12 month industrial research project Petit Pli seeks to carry out industrial research to improve the circularity of existing suits and development of new IP and products. Below are the three main outcomes of the project. Improve circularity of existing products - conducting R&D into using Petit Pli's patent-pending technology with recycled PET fibres, with the intention of creating suits for sale composed of recycled PET fabrics. Develop new IP - Petit Pli have identified new expansion innovation involving the creation of composite PET fibres using recycled/virgin PET which stands to further improve PP suit durability and climate versatility. Develop new products - Petit Pli intends to exploit knowledge gained from prior Innovate UK Project 25130 feasibility study into maternity market for investigative engineering of maternity and mobility apparel production prototypes.

"Petit Pli (PP) is the most innovative childrenswear company in the world. PP has developed an innovative business model alongside of a patent-pending technology, designed using human-centric design methodologies. PP's technology allows clothes to growby 700% without mechanical deformation. PP's garments upon extension retain their defined silhouette, currently custom fitting children aged 1 to 4 years old - an age range which current childrenswear products do not cater to. This capability of PP's garments and PP's technology is significant. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation together with Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have identified that extending the life and use of clothes is one of the most significant opportunities the fashion industry has to reach carbon, water, and waste targets. Their research has shown that extending the life of garments just by nine extra months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by around 20-30% each. PP in this project seeks to explore consumer needs for an easy to target market - given existing knowledge base and consumer base, maternity apparel. Mintel reported in 2013 that sizing technologies were among the chief concerns of maternitywear consuers. Together with this Mintel found that pregnant women are more likely to purchase envrionmentally friendly products. For this reason, this project's key objectives are: 1) To discover, understand and define the needs and behaviours of maternitywear customers by conducting interviews and given questionnaires for the creation of a clear creative brief that frames the fundamental design challenge in maternitywear. 2) To discover what makes a desirable, fit for purpose maternitywear by conducting interviews and workshops for the creation of a clear creative brief that frames the fundamental design challenge in maternitywear. 3) To improve maternitywear product ideas generated using feedback collected from interviews and workshops by user-testing prototypes"