Jean-Charles de Castelbajac designs capsule collection for Petit Bateau

New York - Petit Bateau has decided that they needed a fresh spin on some of their classics like the striped top and sailing jacket. To accomplish this, the brand has brought in Jean-Charles de Castelbajac to design a capsule collection for them. The designer who is famous for his Pop-Art inspired creations and obsession with primary colors has designed a collection of a dozen items for children and adults that will go on sale at the Petit Bateau store on the Champs-Elysees, and online on October 12, and then debut at some of the brands other stores on October 19.

Some of de Castelbajac's takes on Petit Bateau's pieces include a dress where the horizontal striped jersey is spliced together diagonally to create a chevron pattern. Several tops include de Castelbajac's youthful drawings of things such as young sailors. Price points for the line range from 27 dollars for a baby grow to 164 dollars for an adult poncho dress.

Patrick Pergament, CEO of Petit Bateau, made it clear that narrowing down the design selections for de Castelbajac's collection was no easy task. "He produced some 200 to 300 pages of drawings. It was just unbelievable. We had to make some very difficult choices, because when you ask Jean-Charles to work on a capsule, he produces enough material for 10 collections, each drawing more marvelous than the next," Pergament was quoted saying to WWD.

De Castelbajac will have plenty more opportunities to unleash his creativity, however. He plans on holding live painting sessions at the Petit Bateau flagship stores in Tokyo and Osaka in the fall. At Milan Fashion Week in September, he will also be bringing his show “Fantômes,” which blends fashion, painting, and electronic music.

As for Petit Bateau, they will be opening seven stores in China this year and an additional six in Japan. According to Pergament, "We are seeing positive growth in virtually all of our markets. Today, our focus is squarely on developing international markets outside the euro zone, and the collaboration with JCDC is a step in that direction." While given an original aesthetic a fresh take is no easy task, de Castelbajac seems to have done an impressive job, and is sure to help make Petit Bateau's expansion all the easier.