The Jacksons Story
The Jacksons Story
Where it all began...
Louise founded The Jacksons in the 1990s, making sandals, then leather shoes and bags. A few years later she was introduced, through a chance encounter, to the world of macramé bags and the vibrant community of south-west Bangladesh. For several years she focused on developing patterns before sampling the first word bag, ‘Smile.’
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60 villages, 9,000 contributors
In the beggining, roughly 100 women skilled in macramé worked part-time for The Jacksons. This community has since grown: women in over 60 villages working year-round to create jute products, beaded pieces, embroidered and woodworked homewares. Louise first visited Bangladesh over fifteen years ago and fell head over heels for the craft, the people, and the warmth of a community that welcomed her. Years on, nothing but the scale of the project has changed.
Our aims
To be an ethical brand that advocates for traditional crafts, makes responsible material and production choices, and empowers women through direct payment and fair employment.
Financial autonomy for women
All women we work with are paid directly. Many now put their daughters through college, with some of their children now going on to university.
Environmental ethics
Our products are mindful of the environment from material resources, through production processes and to transportation. We deliver bags worldwide by boat whenever possible and use minimal plastic packaging.
Beadwork
These pieces are made bead-by-bead, by hand, by artisans who’ve spent years developing their craft.
Tambour beading is a highly specialised haute couture technique used to apply beads onto fabric. It uses a sharp, pointed Tambour hook to form a continuous stitch through tightly stretched fabric. We make beaded clutches, keyrings, bag charms and other accessories using this traditional technique.
Embroidery
Our embroidered pieces are worked stitch-by-stitch with a patience and precision that really amazes when seen up-close.
Designs travel between teams in London and Bangladesh before the final pattern is meticulously traced onto unbleached cotton. Both appliqué (hand-sewn ornamental patches applied to a base fabric) and embroidery bring playful motifs to life. We continue to explore new designs, shapes, and styles while maintaining traditional sewing techniques.
Jute
We use jute to make our bags and placemats. It's biodegradable, with great flexibility and strength—our bags can carry up to 14kg. A hectare of jute consumes about 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide and releases 11 tonnes of oxygen: cultivating jute in crop rotations enriches the fertility of the soil for the next crop.
The jute plant is harvested by hand using centuries-old methods. No machines are used, only the expertise of the women producers. They untangle and clean the raw jute, spin it with their fingers and tidy it up with scissors. The jute is then dyed with an azo-free dye that doesn’t harm local wildlife. Further, we’re transitioning to a plant-based dying process to further lower our footprint.
Woodwork
Hand-painted by Iqbal, Shuma, Liton and Ezzaz in southern Bangladesh, our woodwork is made in small quantities and is shaped by patience. Each piece begins with Gamari, a locally sourced white teak that must be seasoned for six to twelve months before it can be carved, with the humidity of monsoon season slowing the process over the summer.
Every colour is built up by hand, with at least three layers of paint on each section. Each layer must dry naturally before the design is meticulously retraced again and again. Using chalk and tracing paper taken from Izzy’s original designs, the pattern is reapplied over every new layer of paint, sometimes more than ten times in the making of a single tray. The result feels less like a product and more like a piece of artwork: thorough, precise and alive with the marks of those who made it.
Shoes
Our shoes bring Louise’s story full circle, returning to the craft that began it all. New for 2026, this collection is made in collaboration with expert shoemakers, bringing together the skills and disciplines that define The Jacksons in one wearable form.
The uppers are handcrafted between our embroidery and beadwork teams, allowing familiar techniques to move from bag and accessory into a completely new project. Inside, hand-cut goat leather linings are designed for comfort, whilst the shoes are fully lasted and finished by hand. What makes them remarkable is the way they unite every part of our craft world—embroidery, beadwork and leatherwork—into something beautifully considered and collaborative.
