Maison Poulain

Production locations 

• 100% made in Belgium.

Working Conditions & living wages 

Maison Poulain chooses its partners with care, as the brand refuses to contribute to unfair or unsafe working conditions. All garments are produced entirely in Belgium, while accessories such as bidons are made in the Netherlands—ensuring that production remains within countries governed by strict EU labour regulations. 
This localised approach allows for greater transparency and direct oversight. 
Current and new collaborations are always the result of informed and deliberate decisions, ensuring full alignment with the brand’s values.

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 

Maison Poulain takes a considered approach to packaging, aiming to minimise environmental impact and eliminate single-use plastic wherever possible. 
Orders are shipped in resealable paptic mailers – a durable paper-based alternative to plastic. 
Inside the parcel, garments are carefully wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with paper stickers. 
Product hangtags are printed locally in Kortrijk, and all printed materials such as order slips and flyers use recycled paper. 
Packaging protection is provided by the Geami WrapPak® ExBox, a paper-based solution that offers both cushioning and a low-impact alternative to bubble wrap.

Water usage & chemicals 

Maison Poulain collaborates with a Belgian textile company due to its demonstrable commitment to environmental responsibility and chemical safety. 
The company operates its own water purification system. The treated water meets the strictest environmental standards. 
In terms of chemical management, the company complies with the REACH regulation and holds several OEKO-TEX® certifications, including Standard 100, DETOX TO ZERO, STeP, and Made in Green. The company provides full transparency regarding substances used, especially when they appear on the EU candidate list. All dyeing and finishing processes are carried out under controlled, safety-oriented conditions. Air purification systems ensure nearly zero CO₂ emissions during production. 
The company has also set environmental targets for 2025, including a reduction of water consumption by 6.6 million litres, a 5% decrease in total waste, and a 290-tonne reduction in CO₂ emissions. 

Circular product design 

The brand uses synthetic blends. These blends make the products harder to recycle, as the different fibre types are often difficult to separate during the recycling process. Find out more about how material choices influence recycling, durability, and environmental impact in our blog.

Maison Poulain offers a repair service in partnership with a social enterprise. Customers can contact the brand for assistance with repairing damaged items. While not all repairs are feasible, each request is assessed individually, and costs are shared on a case-by-case basis.

To support garment longevity, a repair kit is also available through the online shop. It includes iron-on patches, produced by a Belgian company, designed to cover small holes caused.

Although these services come with added operational costs, Maison Poulain is working towards integrating them as a systematic part of its business model, reinforcing its long-term commitment to circularity.

Circular business models 

The company is committed to maximising fabric use. In its first year, only stock metres were purchased to avoid minimum order quantities, thus minimising surplus material. Cutting waste is reused where possible — smaller fabric remnants have been transformed into new products, allowing leftover materials to be reintegrated into the collection. A next step will involve producing new items from mixed fabric colours, further incorporating leftovers into new designs.

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.

The brand avoids single-use plastic not only in its own packaging but also by requesting that suppliers refrain from using plastic when delivering goods. For example, some suppliers previously used a single large plastic bag for bulk packaging, while others opted for more low-impact solutions such as wrapping garments in fabric offcuts.

Distance & complexity of the supply chain 

• 100% produced in Belgium
  • 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.

In the design process, Maison Poulain opts for a slow fashion approach, choosing timeless colours and minimalist styles that can be worn for many years. Collections are produced in small quantities, which helps avoid overstock, and the use of consistent design features — such as black zippers and back pockets—allows for more efficient material use, as the same components are used across different garments.

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.