Petite Bateau Expands US Presence with a Los Angeles Store Opening

French Children’s Clothier Petite Bateau  (Little Boats) is expanding their US presence with a new store in Los Angeles, off upscale shopping mecca Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Although this over 100 year old brand is extremely popular in Europe, it’s been hard to find their stores in the states. To date the only store has been on the east coast in New York City.  So it’s great to see this great children’s brand opening up in Los Angeles.   The move to open a store in Beverly Hills is a deliberate one on the part of the brand.   Lennox Thomas,  the Director of Petit Bateau for the US, indicated to me that the brand was more comfortable with a store in a traditional shopping district catering to niche markets rather than a mall. It’s true that Beverly Hill customers will be more likely to know the brand than perhaps the average US mall shopper.  In Europe, Petite Bateau is a  brand  well known for their charming children’s clothes and their organic fabrics, including cotton and linen, rather than slick mall advertising or coupons.  Personally, I like the Petite Bateau line because the clothes will look good on my little niece and nephew, without making them look like they are approaching the age of 40,  long before they actually reach adolescence.  The clothing captures the innocence of child hood.  There are french marine stripe shirts ( the essential organic cotton Petit Bateau marinière)  and dresses, traditional yellow slickers Paddington the Bear would be proud to wear and plenty of charming girly dresses.  There are also organic cotton shirts for adults that can be layered to achieve a variety of looks. Petite Bateau’s new ad campaign (pictured above) shows how real customers have been wearing their styles, and layering their cotton shirts. I like that the campaign shows actual customers, not paid models.  I also like that the clothes don’t seem to have any warnings about choking hazards or flammability.  Safety is important in childrenswear.

I’m glad to see Petite Bateau expanding their US presence.  My 10 year old niece always wants to look fashionably different from the other kids in school.   It’s always a negotiation process to find her something fashionable for school, that I feel is age appropriate.  I don’t want her dressing like Brittany Spears for school (sorry Brittany, your look is fine for a young adult, but not great for children.)  Petite Bateau is a quality brand, with age appropriate wear that both adults and kids can adore.   If you don’t live in New York, LA, or Europe check out Petite Bateau’s online store to see their clothing and  access it for yourself.  Most pieces are well under $100.00, with many dress and tops under $50.00.   The store also has an active Facebook following, which you might want to check for deals.  And here’s a little savings tip: register with Petite Bateau online and receive 20% off your next purchase.  Those discount codes come in handy as the holidays approach!