Why We Build Our Own Materials

Written by Rob, Founder of Petitcocon

Most baby brands do not need to develop their own fabric. They choose from what the textile market already offers. That is often enough. But for us, it wasn’t.

We didn’t start with a design idea. We started with a material problem. Most of the so-called “natural” fabrics available were either not as natural as they claimed to be, or didn’t meet the needs we saw in daily use. Some were too delicate. Some looked good at first but didn’t hold up in real life. Some simply weren’t honest. That’s what pushed us to try something of our own.

We knew we wanted to work with natural fibres. We also knew that combining them wouldn’t be simple. Silk and cotton behave very differently. They shrink at different rates. They absorb and release moisture differently. Their surface tension, fibre length, and density do not align easily. Getting them to blend in a way that felt soft but still durable took time. A lot of it.

We went through many trials. Some versions broke down in washing tests. Others lost shape, wrinkled too easily, or didn’t hold dye well. There were points when it felt like we were going in circles. But we kept going. We changed spinning methods. We adjusted the weave. We refined the finishing. Eventually, we reached a point where the fabric did what we hoped it would. It breathed well. It kept its shape. And it felt right in the hand.

This was never a marketing project. We weren’t chasing a label or a look. We were trying to solve something. That’s why we filed for a UK patent. The application, under reference number GB2311798.2, covers aspects of the structure, composition, and manufacturing method behind our silk-cotton muslin blend. The process is still pending, and we continue to refine the material through further testing and development. Some of the techniques we explored in the patent are already shaping the direction of our work. Others remain part of a longer-term path, not yet reflected in the products available today.

We know most people will never see the technical side of what we do. And that’s fine. The goal is not to talk about innovation for its own sake. The goal is to make something that performs quietly, that earns trust over time, and that starts with real choices, not shortcuts.

For us, building our own fabric wasn’t an ambition. It was a necessity. And it still is.