Petit Bateau is a famous French brand of clothing designed primarily for babies and children (and not only...). The brand takes its name from the nursery rhyme "Maman les p'tits bateaux qui vont sur l'eau ont-ils des jambes?", which has been sung for generations in France.
The first boutique opened in Paris in 1978. Today, the company has around 400 boutiques worldwide and over 3,000 employees, most of whom are based in France at the Saint-Joseph factory in Troyes, where it all began 124 years ago. Bought by Yves Rocher in 1988, Petit Bateau is now part of the Rocher Group.
In 1918, Etienne Valton, son of Petit Bateau founder Pierre Valton, was inspired by this nursery rhyme to cut the legs off the long johns worn at the time. The classic cotton pants we know today were born!
Quality
Over 80% of our products are manufactured in France or in Petit Bateau factories in North Africa. Each stage is subject to rigorous quality control, preserving the know-how and quality for which the company is renowned. As it has grown internationally, Petit Bateau has developed skills outside its core business: for 20% of production, Petit Bateau has joined forces with selected expert partners.
Petit Bateau's raw materials purchasing policy focuses on 3 main areas: Quality of yarns and fibers used: harvesting has a strong impact on the final mesh quality of finished products; Economic criteria: price and capacity; Sustainability of suppliers, durability, tools, procedures: according to the report, the spinning mills are known, and the cotton fields have been visited by Petit Bateau teams.
How it's made
At the start, there's a cotton thread that unwinds like a cocoon. Chosen according to Petit Bateau's strict requirements, it is transformed into rib knit or stockinette on the knitting machines. This knitted fabric is then immersed for 6 to 12 hours in a dye bath, so that it takes on the full depth of color. The seamstresses then bring the pieces created by the design team to life. Knits and patterns are cut, silkscreens printed and embroideries embroidered! Finally comes the precise manual assembly of the various parts and the meticulous finishing touches. From the quality of the thread to the final product, every step is strictly controlled. Petit Bateau products are thoroughly tested before leaving the factory.
Partnerships
Petit Bateau regularly collaborates with fashion designers such as Carven, Tsumori Chisato, Cédric Charlier, Monsieur Christian Lacroix, Maison Kitsuné, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Ines de la Fressange, who have created capsule collections reinventing our iconic pieces. Petit Bateau also supports young artists through an innovative partnership with the Festival International de la Mode et de la Photographie de Hyères, giving the winner carte blanche to create a capsule collection.
Commitment
Highly committed to children's creativity, Petit Bateau has been running a sponsorship program with the association La Source since 2014 (La Source is an association whose mission is to help children and young people aged 6 to 18 in difficulty to develop their artistic creativity). Thanks to this partnership, Petit Bateau finances 3 to 5 creative and artistic courses for children in difficulty and provides textile materials (fabrics, threads, packaging...) that are used in their workshops.
Involvement in these social causes is also important for employees. These actions are an opportunity to participate in something meaningful. Indeed, beyond the products they offer, companies have a role to play in their communities: they contribute to access to employment, social protection and so on.
For example, Groupe Rocher donates part of its unsold goods to the Dons Solidaires association. The latter takes charge of redistributing them to people in material or moral distress. In this way, the products are not destroyed, and people in difficulty can have access to basic, quality products!
Copyright photo: Petit Bateau
