Agolde and Maria McManus have launched a 16-piece sustainable denim capsule — their first-ever collaboration.
The 16-piece Agolde x Maria McManus capsule drops this weekend — and it’s the kind of first-chapter collaboration that makes you wonder why it took this long. Los Angeles-based Agolde, a denim-forward ready-to-wear label under the Citizens of Humanity Group, has joined forces with Irish-born, New York-based designer Maria McManus for a limited-edition collection that trades on shared convictions: sustainability, intentional construction, and clothes built to last. The result is 16 pieces that blend Agolde’s wash expertise with McManus’ clean tailoring, available beginning Saturday on Agolde.com and MariaMcManus.com, and will also be stocked at Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, 23S, Holt Renfrew, and Net-a-Porter.
The collection spans tailored wide-leg denim trousers, a skater short offered in two colorways, an oversize organic cotton shirt, and reimagined utility jackets — with prices starting at $158 for scarves and reaching $698 for the A-Line Massive Coat. Nearly every piece is rooted in Agolde’s responsible materials supply chain, including regenerative cotton sourced from its farm partners and Eco-Indigo, the low-impact bio-based dye developed in partnership with French biochemical company Pili that was named one of Time‘s best inventions of 2025. Around 80,000 tons of indigo dyes are produced each year using non-renewable petrochemicals and toxic compounds — making Eco-Indigo’s fermentation-based process a meaningful departure from the status quo.
For McManus, whose label launched in 2020 and is committed to recycled, organic, natural, and biodegradable fibers sourced from Europe and Japan, this marks a notable milestone: her first-ever collaboration. For Agolde, it represents a relatively rare step into co-branded womenswear territory. The synergy between the two, it turns out, started simply — with a meeting.
“Working with Karen on this collaboration has been incredible. We first met last spring in L.A. and immediately recognized the synergy between our brands, especially around sustainability and responsible consumption,” McManus told WWD.
The meeting clearly moved fast. Every piece of hardware, label, and hang tag in the collection was custom-made, and the fit and wash work was done in close tandem with Agolde’s creative director, Karen Phelps.
“Working with Maria was such a natural alignment. Her thoughtful approach to design resonates deeply with Agolde’s values. We wanted to create pieces that feel timeless yet relevant, bridging her tailoring with our denim innovation,” said Phelps.
Agolde brings to the table what McManus couldn’t do alone
The collaboration is practically built around one of fashion’s most labor-intensive crafts: the denim wash. McManus was candid about what Agolde’s infrastructure unlocks for a brand her size.
“I mean washing in denim is so huge. We can do denim, and we have really clean washes. We don’t have the incredible wash facilities that Agolde has. The washes we ended up doing for the collaboration, everything is so soft and really worn in and lived in, but also coming from regenerative cotton or organic cotton. So there’s just an authenticity to the way Agolde can do denim, which is just extremely comfortable,” said McManus.
McManus was also taken by what she discovered in Agolde’s supply chain during the process. “I am blown away by Agolde’s commitment to creating the most sustainable and responsible denim through their partnerships with regenerative cotton farms and their use of biodegradable stretch and recycled leather. We custom-made every piece of hardware, every label and every hang tag, and worked tirelessly with Karen’s team to perfect each fit and wash,” she added.
On the color front, the collection moves beyond indigo into a range of soft, considered hues. “We also played in color, so we have the most amazing kind of shade of pink, and a lovely soft white and black, so it kind of has a little bit of high and low,” said Phelps. “And then to Maria’s point, we have some amazing washes in indigo too. But I think the color is so strong, and it’s one of the focal points for us…”
The fittings were done in person, and the creative dialogue between the two designers was constant. “I think Maria and I have very similar aesthetics. It was so collaborative, whether liaising with texts, and we did all our fittings in person,” said Phelps, “and I think we ended up with a really strong collection, whether it was taking iconic signature pieces from Maria’s collection and then reimagining it, and vice versa. But we definitely rely on Maria’s ready-to-wear expertise. It was super collaborative.”
A strategic move
From the business side, Amy Williams, chief executive officer of Citizens of Humanity Group, framed the partnership as something more considered than a one-off project. “At the brand level, our collaboration with Maria McManus reinforces Agolde’s positioning as a modern fashion company with a clear point of view — not just a category leader in denim. Maria brings a refined, values-driven approach that closely aligns with how we think about product, sustainability and long-term relevance. By aligning with like-minded designers, we’re able to strengthen our practices collectively — progress happens faster when we share standards and use our scale responsibly. Ultimately, this isn’t about a one-off moment, but about growing our reach with intention and reinforcing that every extension of the brand is thoughtful and purposeful,” said Williams.
The branding on the label reflects that balance of identities: Agolde’s name appears alongside McManus’, with the latter rendered in a more textural treatment rather than bold typography. Sustainability credentials are noted on the hang tag, and the Bio-Indigo designation appears directly on the care labels — a small but telling detail about how seriously both brands take the documentation of responsible practices.
As for which pieces are already generating the most heat, McManus didn’t hesitate. “There’s a skate short that people really loved. It feels kind of new. And I think the field jacket was another favorite in Paris market and a low-slung trouser.”
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