Petit Bateau Logo
The first pair of pants
The French factory
1920’s Poster
1950’s innovative neckline
1978 Their first shop opens
19 New colours and fabrics
The famous stripe
2008 Petit Bateau goes worldwide
Sweatshirts coming to Boatique soonPetit Bateau are well known for their children’s wear collections. In fact I bought my daughters first pair of knickers from Petit Bateau. I bought age 2 and she is still fitting into them at nearly 5 years old. That has to be a record! I still wear a fitted little racer back vest which I’ve had for 18 years and is still going strong. The quality of the fabric is second to none!
The quiet town of Troyes; a centre for the European textile industry for more than seven centuries. It is on the edge of the Champagne region, the birthplace of Petit Bateau and still the home of.
Created in 1893 by Pierre Valton, legend suggests that right after the war, while taking care of his son, Valton was inspired by a different children’s song (en Anglais): “Mummy, the little boats sailing on water, do they have legs?” The name of the brand and its icon product were born: Petit Bateau (little boat) and the petite culotte. Prior to this date, children’s underwear was merely a miniature copy of their senior fellows’.
By 1920, Petit Bateau became a well-established brand. The company launched its first ad campaign featuring “Marinette,” a chubby, mischievous-looking and half-naked little girl simply wearing a petite culotte, who would embody the brand’s irreverent spirit for years. In 1937, the brand was awarded the Grand Prize of the Paris Universal Exhibition in recognition for its innovation.
After WWII, Petit Bateau continued to sail ahead and rely on product innovation to fight competition: white “whiter than white,” armhole inspired by GIs’ underwear to allow a baby’s head to slip in and out easily of clothes.
As the years went by, their collection expanded to include pyjamas, baby grows and body suits for children and babies, as well as causal day wear and outer wear. Finding their niche in children\'s wear, Petit Bateau baby & kids clothing are now well-known for their design of classic. The brand has become the benchmark for multi-generational style for all members of the family around the world.
The stand out piece in the collection is the Petit Bateau boys and girls yellow raincoat (which can be bought at Boatique in Henley or on our online shop). The girls' collection is delightfully girls and offers beautiful girls clothes for all occasions for all seasons.
18 January 2014, 00:00am