Maison Poulain

Production locations 

• 100% made in Belgium.

Working Conditions & living wages 

Maison Poulain chooses it’s partners wisely, as they refuse to contribute to unfair working conditions. By producing their garments 100% in Belgium, and their bidons in the Netherlands, they can keep a close eye on safe and lawful working conditions. Falling under strict EU working regulations. 

Their partners are:

• Liebaert Textiles, Deinze (both for quality textiles and some production)
• De Posthoorn: an inclusive workspace helping people experiencing difficulties enter the jobmarket. (partnership introduction thanks to Studio Ama)

BioRacer Protolab: wear testing and fit test Nano Stitch fabrics (only for one collab) 

Materials 

• Nanostitch Air Fabrics
  • Elastane
  • Polyamide
• Yarn from Germany
• elastic band
• Zippers
• Woven labels
• Bidon
  • Sugar Cane

Maison Poulain challenged themselves to better the cycling apparel world. While trying to make conscious and environmental choices they understood that most of the cycling material is made from fossil fuels. The brand knows that these materials cause the release of microplastics, but haven’t found an alternative so far. These synthetic materials are absorbent and dry quickly. In addition, they feel light and elastic, which makes them so well suited for sportswear.

For now the brand uses virgin synthetic fabrics from Liebaert Textiles, because they believe it’s the best quality fabric they can get made in Belgium that shares their values and invests highly in sustainable business development.

Packaging 

The brand tries to minimize it’s impact by reducing the use of single-use plastics as much as possible.

• No use of plastic in the packaging of products
• Manufacturer agreed to exclude any plastic packaging when handling Maison Poulain products.

They don’t mention their alternatives.

Water usage & chemicals 

The brand details that the fabrics are fully dyed and the yarn for jerseys is pre dyed, which means that the colours are deep and rich. They don’t further specify the impact of used dyes or use of chemicals. 

They do however mention that their bidon, made from sugar cane, is BPA free.

Their textile supplier Liebaert Textiles does have their own water purification installation to purify the water used during their processes.

Circular product design 

The brand doesn’t use recycled materials and uses synthetic blends. These blends make the products hard to recycle.

Since accidents on the bike happen from time to time, Maison Poulain adds a repair kit with its purchases to prolong the use of each product. If a product is not repairable with their kit or with their repair service, the brand offers the consumer a discount on the same or a similar item from their webshop. This discount does not apply to third party purchases.

Circular business models 

Since cycling gear is very expensive but also delicate when taking a fall for instance, Maison Poulain is growing its repair service to minimize waste. In case the cycling kit is damaged beyond repair they offer the consumer a discount on the same or a similar item from their webshop.

The price of repair will be assessed and discussed with the customer after communicating all details and following the steps on their website.

The brand hopes to be able to implement initiatives for used textiles and clothing collection.

Distance & complexity of the supply chain 

• 100% produced in Begium
  • Liebaert Textiles
  • De Posthoorn
• Zippers and elastics from Kroko and Gevaert Bandweverij, both Belgian
• HQ is located in Oudenaarde, Belgium
• Sells in Belgium, in the EU, outside of the EU

The supply chain is relatively short considering the production of garments and sourcing of fabrics is done 100% in Belgium, the bidons are produced in the Netherlands, and yarn comes from Germany. 

Transportation 

• Transportation in the supply chain is minimized thanks to local sourcing and production.

Transportation in e‑commerce is handeled by bpost, both in and out of the EU.

The brand doesn’t mention any animal materials used in production.

Product design 

The brand produces cycling jerseys, bibs and neck tubes for men and women. They offer different fits that are available in the same colours and are working on unisex sporting gear to fit every body shape on a small budget.

Maison Poulain strives to be an all-inclusive brand for all people of coulour, gender, shape, and form. Right now their sizes go from XS-XXL and XS-XL depending on the product.

The company helps minimizing returns by offering a size guide on each product page.

Slow fashion processes 

The brand finds that the speed of the fashion industry takes a heavy toll on the environment. They want to take it slow and opt for a low stock alternative, with timeless, minimal designs that don’t follow seasonal trends. They have a steady collection to which they gradually add some designs. Maison Poulain has a curated archive sale available on their website. 

Transparency on product 

Maison Poulain offers any additional information of each product in a separate table on each product page. This table contains:

• Size information
• Product specs (including material info and production country)
• Fabric info
• Model info related to size
• Care instructions

Transparency on processes 

The brand tries to be honest and open about the challenges that come with creating more sustainable cycling apparel. They explain their decision-making process for the materials, and offer advice on how to counter the release of microplastics. On their website they share their fabric supplier and production locations. 

With COSH!, they shared the budget limitations for creating unisex garments.