There are not many brands that can claim to have invented something as important, revolutionary and functional as modern underwear. But this is an invention that French heritage brand Petit Bateau is proud to claim. It was 100 years ago that Étienne Valton, together with his brothers André and Xavier, heirs to the knitting company, Valton & Sons, decided to cut the legs off of the 'john' underwear that people wore under their clothes, thus creating the first version of the modern panty "The brief was seen as a radical innovation at the time because adults and children used to wear long underwear," explained Patrick Pergament, CEO of Petit Bateau, one of France's oldest fashion brands. "This innovation happened at a time when women were cutting their hair and men were shaving their beards: it was a crucial moment in history in which many social changes were taking place, from the way people dressed, to how they expressed themselves. politics "

The brief was an instant hit, especially with boys, and Petit Bateau sold more than 30 million garments of its hero brief "400" between 1921 and 1930. Petit Bateau briefs remain in high demand today among mothers and children and in In honor of one of its best-selling products, the brand has created a special collection based on some of its archive panties. The collection, which will be launched at a special event at the Palais de Tokyo on February 6 and will be in stores on February 7. This collection includes Petit Bateau's original high-waisted panty in 2x2 rib and her classic panty in 1x1 rib. "We wanted to take the time to celebrate this anniversary because the invention of the brief was really the launch of the Petit Bateau brand. We decided to look inside our archive and take three different types of briefs that used to be produced by the brand and modernize these historic briefs for our collection of 100 years."

Petit Bateau will launch a centenary collection

In addition to launching its special centenary collection, Petit Bateau also launched an online competition last month, asking customers to come up with their own designs for its iconic panties. "We are very surprised by the level of enthusiasm our customers have for the brand. We received over 11,000 applicants for panty designs." A special jury including Brune de Margerie of Elle France, Bertrand Guyon of Schiaparelli and the influential Elsa Muse, who will also create a panty design, will select six winners, who will receive a cash prize and a visit to the company's factory in Troyes, France. . This anniversary is particularly significant for Petit Bateau because it is one of the oldest brands in France that still produces its own fabrics and products, which is one of the key aspects behind its continued success, according to Pergament. "This anniversary not only marks the birth of the pantyhose, but also celebrates our own heritage and reminds us that we come from this time in history."

Petit Bateau has certainly come a long way since launching its briefs, which has branched out over the years from underwear and sleepwear for children and mothers to include garments for men and women, as well as accessories. "Mothers originally came to Petit Bateau to buy pajamas and panties and we're still selling a lot of those products. But we're also selling more daywear. Today's new mothers and grandmothers really like to shop for complete looks," says Pergament. Although the French brand faces increasing competition from fast-fashion retailers, it continues to perform well, with steady business growth each year, according to the CEO. "We have a strong position in the apparel market for many reasons. One is because people recognize us: we are a strong brand because people trust the brand, but this does not guarantee the success of the brand." Rather, Pergament attributes Petit Bateau's success to maintaining the brands' DNA, which includes its roots as a fabric manufacturer, while ensuring that its product offering remains modern, creative and relevant. "In this sense, we are very unique in the fashion market because we produce most of our products and sell them in our own stores."

Petit Bateau aims to become very big in Japan… and China

It is this uniqueness that has also helped boost the popularity of the brand in Asia. Japan has grown rapidly to become Petit Bateau's second strongest market after France. The brand has managed to double the size of its business in Japan and aims to double it again in the next five years. Petit Bateau also has plans in the works to grow rapidly in China. "We opened our first store in China two years ago and by the end of 2017 we had 34 stores," says Pergament. "Our goal is to operate 64 stores in the country by the end of next year." Overall, he expects Asia to become the brand's strongest market in the next five years. The French brand is also growing in its mature markets and aims to open stores in Switzerland, Russia, Qatar, Egypt and the Middle East. For example , Petit Bateau recently opened a new store on Rue desFrancs Bourgeois in Paris and is aiming to open its new store concept in its flagship store on Rue de Sevres.

But the brand is not only investing in strengthening its physical retail presence, as e-commerce continues to be an important part of the brand's sales. "The business side of e-commerce has really grown recently - it's more than doubled in the last 4 years." Petit Bateau is achieving double-digit growth through its online channel in almost all of its markets every year, especially in Japan and Germany. However, one of the real issues facing the brand right now is how much to invest in retail and how much to invest in digital. “We clearly see that there is a shift in consumption towards the digital space, but we also need to expand our stores. The right mix of stores and digital is one of the key strategies we are working on right now. It is important to understand what we need to prioritize and how we can convert sales between the two channels." That's why Pergament is working to fine-tune the brand's omnichannel strategy and bring its online and offline channels closer together. For example, to help convert sales across its channels, the French brand is expanding its click and collect services to more of its stores and offering customers the option to order items online in store.

Petit Bateau will present a new store concept in March 2018

"Mothers, fathers and grandparents are shopping online more and more, so retailers need to offer customers a different kind of shopping experience," Pargament emphasizes. "We envision Petit Bateau as a unique brand, so what we want to convey are those two main elements of our brand story. We want to develop something that enhances our customers' experience and conveys our story. At the moment we don't feel that our stores really convey this to our customers, so we're working on that," he adds. Although Pargament cannot share any further details about the brand's new store concept, apart from its goal of uniting the brand's online and offline shopping journey into one seamless experience, Petit Bateau wishes to convey the history and experience of the childhood in its stores, "which is the main source of creativity" behind the brand.

The brand is also interested in communicating its sustainable guidelines to customers in the store, as sustainability remains an important aspect for Petit Bateau. "For a long time, we worked sustainably without even knowing we were doing it. A very interesting word I learned recently is 'green hiding', something I think we did," he adds with a smile. "Of course, if you develop products from a extremely high quality, so you make sure you have quality everywhere, so the problem for us is how to communicate to customers what we do, where we do it and how we do it." We are trying to establish a database of all our products and certifications this year to give our customers much more information.”

This article was previously published on FashionUnited.uk. Translation and editing: Gabriela Maldonado.

Photos: courtesy of Petit Bateau