Children’s Clothing Brand Jackalo Partners with Bank & Vogue to Upcycle Denim Textiles
Children’s apparel brand Jackalo is transforming post-consumer materials into denim jackets and jeans.
The U.S. brand recently partnered with Bank & Vogue, a global leader in textile reuse and circularity, to launch Jackalo Broken In, a three-piece unisex capsule collection made with post-consumer cotton denim.
The Jackalo Broken In collection includes the Ash Pant and Jules Pant, both available in classic blue and color block, and the Charlie Jacket in classic blue—an archival silhouette that references a vintage French chore coat. The collection retails for $119-$145 and is available in sizes TK-TK.
The capsule reflects Jackalo founder Marianna Sachse’s commitment to reducing synthetics in children’s clothing while offering parents durable, high-quality pieces designed to be worn and handed down from child to child.
“The fashion industry is estimated to generate more than 92 million tons of textile waste each year, with only a fraction of those materials truly being recycled or reused in meaningful ways,” Sachse told SJ Denim. “While consumers are increasingly looking to make more conscious purchasing decisions, real change has to begin at the brand level.”
For the launch of Jackalo Broken In, the brand sourced directly from Bank & Vogue’s extensive archive of post-consumer textiles, hand-selecting denim based on wash, weight, texture and overall character. The design team also incorporated reclaimed shirting fabrics for pocket detailing, adding another layer of thoughtful reuse to the collection.
Jackalo Broken In
“Bank & Vogue has long been a pioneer in textile reuse and was a natural partner for this first-of-its-kind collection given our shared commitment to circularity and extending the life of existing materials,” Sachse told SJ Denim. “Their expertise in textile recovery and access to high-quality materials made it possible for us to create a collection that balanced durability, functionality and design while staying true to our circular values.”
Jackalo carefully removed seams, waistband and damaged areas to create usable fabric panels that could be reworked directly into new garments. “This process allowed us to preserve the original durability and character of the denim while embracing the naturally softened, lived-in feel of post-consumer fabric,” Sachse said.
Working with post-consumer textiles comes with a unique set of challenges for the brand, which typically uses organic cotton and deadstock fabrics for its collections. Sachse said one of the biggest hurdles is sourcing fabrics that meet the brand’s standards—especially when working with pre-existing garments, where factors like fabric weight, hand feel and usable fabric panels can vary significantly.
“With new fabrics, we’re able to be incredibly precise, often selecting materials within a 10 gsm [grams per square meter] range. But when working with post-consumer garments, that level of consistency isn’t possible. Instead, we work within broader categories,” she said.
For this collection Jackalo specifically pulled mid-weight denim and shirting, where each piece naturally has its own character and hand feel.
Another major consideration was fabric availability. Because the brand was using reclaimed materials, Sachse said they couldn’t assume traditional patterns would seamlessly fit the usable fabric panels available to them. “Every piece in this collection is made from B-grade denim—garments that had already been rejected from resale—meaning we often had to work around stains, tears and imperfections. Rather than seeing these limitations as setbacks, we approached them creatively, adapting patterns and refining designs to make the most of every garment,” she said.
However, overcoming these obstacles is essential to Jackalo’s mission of scaling responsible fashion and inspiring future generations of consumers to think more critically about the clothing they wear. The environmentalist emphasized that the growing abundance of deadstock and post-consumer textiles presents a significant opportunity for designers to rethink how garments are made and where materials come from.
“There’s a widely cited statistic that there are already enough clothes on the planet to outfit six future generations. While the exact figure may be difficult to verify, the underlying reality is undeniable: we are consuming, and discarding, clothing at a rate the planet simply cannot sustain,” Sachse said.
