Digital Knitting Innovation for Circular Fashion

Petit Pli Limited, a pioneering brand in adaptive children’s wear, sought to scale its innovative, foldable clothing designs while embedding sustainable, natural fibres into its products. Producing garments with unique expandable structures posed technological challenges: ensuring fabric elasticity, structure memory, and durability at scale required specialist textile knowledge and advanced prototyping capabilities.

The company partnered with the Royal College of Art through the Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) programme to embed digital knitting expertise, explore new fibre applications, and establish scalable, sustainable production methods.

Project Objectives

The AKT project aimed to:

• Embed advanced digital knitting techniques into Petit Pli’s design and production process.
• Develop new fibre blends and structural innovations to enhance garment elasticity, durability, and wearability.
• Reduce reliance on external contractors by building in-house expertise.
• Lay the groundwork for future collaborations between Petit Pli and academic partners in sustainable textiles.

Project Overview

The partnership focused on material testing, digital prototyping, structural innovation, and manufacturing exploration. Key activities included:

• Material Testing: 16 sustainable fibres were evaluated, with merino, silk blends, and performance-enhancing fibres selected for further development. Fibres were assessed for elasticity, structure memory, and durability.
• Structural Innovations & Prototyping: Over 108 sample swatches were created, refining existing Knot-Tile structures and developing new textile structures for both children’s and adultwear.
• Manufacturing Exploration: Prototyping on V-bed, X-bed, and accessory-specific machines identified scalable production methods. Collaboration with Shima Seiki UK facilitated access to next-generation digital knitting technology.
• Knowledge Transfer: RCA expertise accelerated in-house capability building at Petit Pli, ensuring the company could implement insights in future collections and scalable manufacturing.

• Material Innovation: Three high-performance fibres integrated into prototypes, broadening Petit Pli’s design possibilities and enhancing garment performance.
• Structural Advancements: New textile structures improved elasticity, durability, and aesthetic appeal. Fancy yarns and textured knits opened avenues for extending the product range beyond children’s wear.
• Manufacturing & Scalability: Optimised digital knitting methods and machinery trials enabled more efficient, reliable production processes.
• Industry & Strategic Impact: The project strengthened academic-industry collaboration, informed future product development, and set the foundation for potential in-house circular fashion innovations.

Since project completion, Petit Pli has integrated findings into its internal material library and R&D roadmap. Insights are already influencing discussions with suppliers and partners for scalable, sustainable manufacturing.