A gentleman, once he reaches 80, might expect to have missed his chance of becoming a fashion icon. But not so for Babar the elephant, who is being celebrated in his birthday year (the books were first published in the UK in 1933) with a men's fashion collection.

It's the first time that the dapper elephant has graced gentleman's attire, and the collection is the work of Babar fan and designer Silas Adler of Soulland, a Copehagen-based label.

"When I was a kid, I loved him," said Adler at the launch at the Colette store in Paris. "He was my favourite character. But I forgot all about him, as you do. Then two years ago I found an article about Jean de Brunhoff and how he started Babar, and I thought: 'Oh, it would be perfect for menswear!' He's sophisticated and elegant and a real gentleman."

Babar originated as a bedtime story, told by de Brunhoff's wife, Cécile, to their two boys. Within a year, de Brunhoff had published the first book, but he died of tuberculosis in 1937, aged only 37. His son, Laurent, who is now 86 and lives in New York, continued in his father's style, producing a further 35 books.

Babar provokes nostalgia and fervour in equal measure – in Japan, there are no fewer than 12 standalone Babar stores. But in the UK, he has had something of a lull – pre-schoolers are more likely to recognise Peppa Pig or Hello Kitty than the green-suited elephant. A recent attempt to revive the character with an animated TV series might help with his long-nosed profile, though fans of the original artwork remain scornful of the rather garish animation.

Then again, Babar is no stranger to controversy – the premise of the stories, with elephants "civilised" by humans, then in turn civilising the other "natives", has been denounced as racist and as justifying colonialism. On the collection, though, he rises gracefully (or perhaps weightily) above it all, with the original, muted watercolour prints of him being fitted for a suit, driving a car or playing with his children illustrating simple black or white shirts.

The message and the medium seem well suited. What could be more fitting than the tale of an orphan elephant who becomes the elephant king, gets his subjects to wear smart clothes and behave like early 20th-century French crème de la crème, now gracing the attire of 21st-century fashionistas?