“For Petit Bateau, its iconic piece is the marinière,” says Finnish designer Satu Maaranen, who was given carte blanche to recreate the classic, striped piece for the long-standing French atelier, as part of her capsule collection for the brand. “I wanted to add my twist, inspired by toothpaste and candy canes.” Explore Satu Maaranen’s inspirations in today’s interactive and shoppable film. Originating far from the fashion world as part of the regulatory uniform for the French Navy, the earliest design of a marinière stipulated that there should be 21 stripes, one for each of Napoleon's victories. The distinctive Breton look had a practical origin, being easy to spot should the wearer go overboard. It became a fashion item at the hands of Coco Chanel, who elevated the seafaring staple in 1917 with her revolutionary women’s design.

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A potted cultural history of the marinière

1858 The Act of France introduces a blue-and-white striped knitted shirt as the uniform of all French navy seamen.
1917 Coco Chanel co-opts the design into the fashion world.
1952 Pablo Picasso is immortalized in stripes by Robert Doisneau.
1953 The Breton top makes its first Hollywood appearance on Marlon Brando’s back in The Wild One.
1955 Biker Frank Sadilek purchases his own striped T-shirt, which he wears proudly as the President of the Hell’s Angels, San Francisco.
1955 James Dean dons a marinière in Rebel Without A Cause.
1960 Jean Seberg takes the marinière into the Nouvelle Vague in Godard’s À Bout de Souffle [Breathless].
1970 The emblematic top enters the repertoire of Petit Bateau.
1980s Jean Paul Gaultier adopts the blue-and-white stripe as his trademark.
2014 Petit Bateau continues to reinvent the marinière.