If the Petit Bateau brand was founded in 1920, everything really began a few years ago, in 1893, in the city of Troyes, where Pierre Valton created a hosiery specializing in underwear, mainly underpants and undershirts.

At that time, men, women and children wore underwear long underpants, which went to the knees or ankles. In 1918, his son Etienne invented the now famous white cotton panties, replacing the buttons sewn at the waist of the shorts with an elastic belt. The modern breeches were born.

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As for the name "Petit Bateau", it just comes from the nursery rhyme "Mom the little boats that go on the water have legs ..." and the logo that represents it, it would have been created according to the anecdote by a little girl from the creator's entourage. Pretty cute so.

FROM CRAFTS TO BUSINESS

The small warehouse in the city of Troyes quickly becomes a large company that does not know the crisis and receives the grand prize for innovation at the 1937 World Expo.

After the Second World War, the company develops and innovates by creating new underwear: it begins with the white cotton underpants, pajamas and underwear for adults men and women.

Bras , bras , panties, underpants, tights or even baby dolls are born.

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If the brand is more and more followers, it is because it knows how to combine softness, comfort and more recently fashion. Indeed, the success of underwear is such that the brand then decides to embark on ready-to-wear. Petit Bateau manufactures iconic pieces of the marine wardrobe, such as the navy blue peacoat, the yellow wax or the marinière .

For a long time limited to the rank of basics, they are seen and reviewed by their artistic directors, Gildas Loaec and Masaya Kuroki (both at the head of Maison Kitsuné) between 2012 and 2015, but also by renowned designers at the option of exclusive collaborations . Carven or Jean Charles de Castelbajac are among the most famous.