Agolde and Maria McManus Launch a 16-Piece Sustainable Denim Capsule Collection

When a mutual friend introduced Maria McManus to Amy Williams, the chief executive officer of Citizens of Humanity Group, neither party needed much convincing. McManus, the Irish-born, New York-based designer whose eponymous line sources recycled, organic, and biodegradable fibers from Europe and Japan, had long wanted to move into denim. She simply lacked the sustainable infrastructure to do it on her own terms. Agolde, the Los Angeles-based denim-forward label Williams oversees under Citizens of Humanity Group, was looking to push further into ready-to-wear. The resulting 16-piece capsule, which first debuted at McManus's Spring 2026 runway show before landing at retail, is the clearest argument yet that the best collaborations solve a real problem.

The collection centers on Agolde's Eco-Indigo, the low-impact dye the brand pioneered in 2025 and which Time magazine named one of its Best Inventions that same year. Combined with regenerative cotton sourced from Agolde's farm partners, organic cotton, biodegradable stretch, and recycled leather, the material story alone separates this capsule from the wave of denim collaborations that lean on aesthetics alone. McManus's team custom-made every piece of hardware, every label, and every hang tag, and rather than developing patterns from scratch, the two brands deliberately reworked silhouettes from McManus's existing roster to reduce waste.

The 16 pieces reflect that economy of purpose. Wide-leg denim trousers and mid-rise wide-leg jeans anchor the bottoms offering, joined by an ultra-high-waisted pair cinched with a coordinating belt and skater shorts in two colorways that hit just below the knee. Outerwear includes a reimagined utility field jacket and an A-line coat in Crinkle Indigo described as weightless. The tops range from an oversize organic denim shirt and an A-line shirt in white cotton poplin to a Deep V Tunic cut in Japanese renewable sateen. A long circle skirt and a flyweight bandana in Stone Wash Powder Pink round out the assortment. The color palette moves between pale indigo, white cotton, washed black, and washed icy pale pink.

"It's a very concise capsule," McManus said. "There's nothing superfluous; just a great jacket, a great coat, great jeans, a great skirt."

Karen Phelps, Agolde's creative director, framed the partnership in similar terms. "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."

Williams was equally deliberate about the strategic weight of the collaboration. "This isn't about a one-off moment, but about growing our reach with intention," she said, positioning the tie-up as part of a longer effort to reinforce Agolde's identity as a full fashion company rather than a category specialist. McManus, for her part, framed the mission beyond the two brands: "We're both profitable companies that do things as best we can, not just from a sustainability perspective. Spreading the word that sustainability for both our collections is possible and possible for other brands, too."

The capsule is available on Agolde.com and MariaMcManus.com, as well as through Net-a-Porter, where the Oversize Organic Denim Shirt is priced at $490 and the Mid-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans at $430. It is also stocked at Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, 23S, and Holt Renfrew. For a capsule built around the principle of doing more with less, the distribution footprint is notably broad.