Selina Schweiker and Friederike Sirin.
PETIT COCHON, that's us:
We founded PETIT COCHON in 2012 and have been responsible for all the ideas, designs, production and management ever since. We both come from completely different professions, but have always wanted beautiful, simple and comfortable clothes for our own children (7 in total) that don't have to be constantly replaced. However, as these were rarely available at the time and only very expensive when they were, we realized our dream on 1.1.2012 and launched our first online store shortly afterwards. In the beginning, together with just one seamstress, we made everything ourselves. Everything really! We now have a wonderful team of 14 women and 2 men. Three other sewing studios produce for us in Berlin. We stand for real sustainability in the textile industry and work every day to create timeless, long-lasting clothing.
Sustainability
For us, sustainability is not a badge, but a way of life: we produce in Berlin, most of our fabrics come from Germany, they are subject to strict quality controls and meet high social and ecological standards. There is no overproduction or textile waste with us: faulty items are repaired and/or offered at a lower price, used favorites can be found in our second-hand department. We ship completely plastic-free (with DHL GoGreen) and even our postcards, tags etc. are produced by regional eco-companies.
Another fundamental, resource-saving sustainability factor is that PETIT COCHON garments fit forever. Our children's clothing grows with the child and can be worn for up to three years. Cuffs and clever cuts that always remain comfortable turn dresses into sweaters and long pants into knickerbockers.
In December 2021, PETIT COCHON was awarded the German Sustainability Award in the Design category.
Fairness
Our seamstresses receive fair wages, our customers fair prices. How is that possible?
Because we, as producers, sell directly to the end consumer and don't have any middlemen, and because, unlike most other manufacturers, we calculate our profit margin very tightly and don't spend any money on advertising or the like, we can offer comparatively low prices despite using high-quality materials and German production. However, this also explains why we cannot offer dumping prices even during sales. This would not even cover our production costs.
In November 2023, we were recognized as an "Employer of the Future".
Everything from a single source
Our team is responsible for design, patterns, fabric selection, web design, online store maintenance, social media, children's photos, quality control, customer service, production and shipping. This allows us to work effectively and with pleasure and to continue to develop.
Pieces such as the knickerbockers, dungarees, the cuddly suit, the gnome jacket or the Michel cap are among our first designs and are therefore real classics. Right from the start, you can recognize our children's clothing that grows with your child by the typical details such as the striped cuffs and the decorative coconut buttons. Our cuts are reduced to what a garment needs; there are no unnecessary seams, pockets, frills or fastenings. This not only ensures our purist, gender-neutral design, but also simplifies sewing and helps to keep production costs down. We design garments in which the children not only look good, but can also move freely. It is important to us that the children feel comfortable and can put on and take off their pants and tops easily and independently.
We have received the following awards for our Loopbody - the baby bodysuit that grows with your child: Red Dot Award 2022 "Best of the Best", German Innovation Award 2022 "Gold", German Design Award 2023 "Gold", Loop Design Award 2022 "Category Winner", New York Design Award 2023 "Silver", London Design Award 2023 "Platinum", Big See Award 2023 "Winner".
