Ryan Yasin, a 24-year-old graduate from the Royal College of Art, has just won the James Dyson Award for his Petit Pli range of clothing that expands with the kid that wears it, meant to fit a child from 6-month-old up to 36-month-old.

Parents spend more than £2,000 on clothes for one child before they even reach the age of three, as they grow extremely quick.

This constant cycle of producing and discarding clothing doesn’t just have a major impact on household finances, it also places immense pressure on the environment and it’s a problem which the latest UK Dyson award winner is looking to solve. 

The clothes have a hydrophobic coating which makes them waterproof, while the grid-like folds on the outerwear point downward to make any rain run straight off.

And they won’t lose their flexibility, because they’ve been treated with heat to stay permanently in place.

This includes washing – they’ve been designed to go through the wash cycle on a regular basis, while remaining durable and long-lasting.

The garments are mainly outerwear for the time being, as they’re made out of synthetic material that parents may not necessarily want against their kids’ bare skin.

Yasin says the clothing becomes small enough to store in your pocket, but when your child outgrows it completely, it’s recyclable too. 

Now that he’s won, Ryan will receive £2,000, and Petit Pli will be entered into the international round of the competition.

If he wins that round, he stands to win £30,000.

With the prize money currently in his pocket, Yasin hopes to further his research and development and form a team of expert that will help him turn Petit Pli into a business.

He’s already in discussions with distributors and manufacturers – the next stage is capturing the interest of potential investors which should be much more achievable with the award behind him. 

Read more at Metro and Techradar