FASHION TO FACEMASK

I left Mill Hill in 2011 and went to Imperial College London where I received a (MEng) Master of Engineering. I started Royal College of Art in 2015 where I completed an MA in Global Innovation Design and at the same time I gained an MSc in Global Innovation Design at Imperial.

After a few years of work experience, in 2017 I created Petit Pli, a children’s fashion label, with the ambition of reducing waste and plastic pollution generated by the wearable industry.

Our first award-winning product utilised a material with geometric pleats to make expandable clothes. I was able to use my background as an aeronautical engineer to design a system of permanent folds that can unpack to stretch and then return to shrink.

Applied to children’s clothes, the pleats expand making a single garment able to last a child from the age of six months through to 36 months. Our suits are breathable, lightweight and rainproof, while their expanding shape allows for effortless movement.

When Covid-19 pandemic arrived at the start of 2020 and masks became one of the primary items required to help slow the spread of the virus, we realised we could help.

We wanted to create a mask which complimented the change Covid-19 has had on our habits, attitudes and way of thinking - while still embodying our ethos of problem solving, sustainability and innovation. The mask is the first item for adults made by Petit Pli, and the pleats make the mask a comfortable accessory that can easily convert into a face covering. Petit Pli used its patentpending technology to create reusable face masks in response to reports that disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) has lead to a surge in plastic pollution during the pandemic.

Beta (MSK) fastens around the neck like a soft fabric collar. When the wearer wants to mask their mouth and nose, they simply tug on the top of the fabric to pull it up over their chin and nose in one quick movement.

A clever pocket between the face and neck can be used to insert an extra disposable filter. The mask is made from 100 per cent recycled polyester, a hardwearing fabric created using plastic from recycled bottles, and the pattern for Beta (MSK) is designed to waste as little fabric as possible, and can be machine washed at 30 degrees Celsius.

We know that face masks do not prevent the wearer from contracting coronavirus, but by catching coughs and sneezes they protect the people around them and slow down the rate of transmission. The mask is available in four colours –Lunar Blue, Neptune Blue, Mars Red and Aurora Green.

About the Petit Pli (MSK)

Petit Pli’s Beta (MSK) is Petit Pli’s first commercially available adult-wear design.

Designed and made in London, Petit Pli is releasing its mask to make bipedal commutes in a post-social distancing world as comfortable as possible.

About Petit Pli

London-based Petit Pli has won awards for their patent pending fabric which expands bi-directionally to fit children aged between nine months and four years old.

Former winner of the UK James Dyson Award

2018 Dezeen Award for Best Wearable Design 2018, 2019

Red Dot Award Product Design: ‘Best of the Best’ Winners

Global Change Award (2019)