FASHION & ACCESSORIES
MAISON MAES
Maison Maes brings bags and small leather goods into the 21st century, by combining the legacy of French savoir-faire and innovative biobased materials, to offer truly sustainable high-end products.
SUSTAINABILITY PURPOSE
Maison Maes firmly believe in 'Innovation x Savoir-Faire' as the solution to reverse the deadly course of their industry. Because innovation brings positive change when it leverages the incredible yet untapped potential of plants and nature. And the quality of French craftsmanship drives the durability of their products, which is key for an even lower impact. From the beginning Maison Maes have been exploring and testing innovative materials. For their first collection they selected cactus-based vegan leather for its high quality and sustainable manufacturing, and they chose their secondary materials very carefully as well, for an immediate and significant reduction in their products’ environmental impact. But it does not stop here. Every day Maison Maes are challenging themselves on every aspect of their products and every step of their value chain, always looking for a better impact. Everything they do, they do it thinking about how they can be more responsible and go further in lowering their impact.
Established
2020
Headquarters
Paris, France
First Certified
2022
Categories
Bags and Accessories
Website
Distribution
Worldwide
A WORD FROM THE FOUNDERS
Maison Maes was born from a dream we shared, the dream of finally bringing bags and small leather goods into the 21st century and challenging the status quo. We are building on the legacy of exceptional French craftsmanship and challenging it at the same time with innovative materials and new methods, to deliver a much better impact and add to the pleasure of having an exceptional bag in your hands the pleasure of doing the right thing for our planet.
ROMAIN BOUBERT & GÉRALDINE SAQUY
CO-FOUNDERS
BUTTERFLY MARK TESTIMONIAL
For us, as millennials, social and environmental responsibility was a no-brainer from the day we started Maison Maes. But as we were going through the first stages of our development, we realized that being part of a larger community of brands that shared the same values and were ready to show and prove they were acting on these values was very important for us. We want to bring transparency in our industry. We want people to be able to see brands for who they really are and how they really act, and the Butterfly Mark is a great way to do that.
ROMAIN BOUBERT
CO-FOUNDER
Case study
NEXT GEN MATERIALS
Maison Maes is built on a foundation of sustainability. The House is pioneering the use of innovative materials in fashion by replacing animal-based leather with innovative and sustainable alternatives without compromising the quality, durability or heritage craftsmanship of their French luxury leather goods. For its first collection, Maison Maes chose cactus leather as the main material. Nopal plant, used in the production of DESSERTO® cactus leather, does not require irrigation and itself is a powerful CO2 trap. The process of material preparation for manufacturing requires 9 times less energy and emits nearly 20 times less greenhouse gasses in comparison to animal leather. In addition to using cactus leather as their primary product material, Maison Maes is continually exploring other sustainable materials with a lower environmental impact and favors plant-based, recycled, and biodegradable materials for their products and packaging.
Case study
CLIMATE
Maison Maes is committed to becoming a Net Zero company by 2030 and, in its early stages of operations, is already conducting their carbon footprint assessment to set reduction targets. With a strategy in place, Maison Maes has defined the scope and objectives of its climate commitments and has conducted the first carbon footprint assessment through a third-party. On average across its first collection, Maison Maes products emit 62% less CO2 than a high-street leather alternative. Continuing its path toward carbon neutrality, Maison Maes has developed and implemented an employee travel policy and is working on emissions reduction targets in line with the Science Based Targets (SBTi’s) criteria.
Case study
SUSTAINABLE AND TRANSPARENT SUPPLY CHAIN
A sustainable supply chain starts by selecting sustainable suppliers. Maison Maes’ extensive supplier sourcing strategy ensures sustainability and supplier integrity is considered alongside material cost. The house has full visibility over their direct suppliers and the origins of all supplied material including zipper tapes, metal parts, thread, lining and product structure reinforcement parts that are all partially or, in most cases, fully recycled. Maison Maes has set ambitious targets and is working with their suppliers to lower their environmental impact through effective energy, waste and water management strategies as well as carbon footprint accounting.
Through a digital ID that’s powered by blockchain technology and attached to each of their products, The House guarantees transparency and traceability of their products including material composition, place of manufacturing, serial number and even product repairs throughout its lifecycle.
