The actress, director, former special envoy to the United Nations, and goodwill ambassador is launching Atelier Jolie, a new brand with a social conscience that will use deadstock and draw on the skills of “refugees and other talented, under-appreciated groups, with positions of dignity based on skill.”
Angelina Jolie made headlines last week when it was revealed that the Maria Callas biopic she’s slated to act in, directed by Pablo Lorrain (of Spencer and Jackie fame), will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France. However, that isn’t her most significant headline this month.
“I’m starting something new today—a collective where everyone can create,” wrote Jolie in a post on her Instagram account this morning. Atelier Jolie is a space where artists may work together with an international family of talented craftspeople, pattern makers, and tailors. It comes from my gratitude and respect for all of the tailors and craftsmen I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years, a desire to utilize the excellent vintage and deadstock materials currently in circulation, as well as a want to take part in a movement to encourage greater self-expression.
Jolie tends to express herself through monochromatic, understated, and largely anonymous designs that make sure the focus is on her and not the clothes she’s wearing. Nevertheless, innumerable online articles, including many on this website, have discussed her distinctive style. Over the years, millions of clicks have been generated by her airport attire, footwear, and crop tops. Her and her teenage children’s recent fashion choices have underlined the importance of recycling and reusing old clothing. Shiloh and Zahara donned items from their mother’s collection to the Eternals premiere of her Marvel movie.
Every year, more than 100 million tons of textile waste are disposed of in landfills. It appears like Atelier Jolie was created to remedy that issue. On the brand’s website, it is stated that “you will be able to repair or upcycle pieces from your closet you wish to revive, perfecting fit, breathing new life into what could have been thrown away, and creating quality heirloom garments with personal meaning.”
The mention of refugees is intriguing given the end last week of Title 42, a pandemic-era measure that allowed authorities to quickly turn back migrants on public health grounds. The U.S. could see record numbers of asylum seekers moving forward. Whatever Atelier Jolie becomes, Jolie is particularly well-placed to disrupt in this area. Amidst her acting and directing, she spent two decades working for the UN Refugee Agency, carrying out over 60 field missions, most recently to Yemen and Burkina Faso, that built awareness about people who are forced to flee. Also, in a 2015 op-ed in The Times of London co-authored by Arminka Helic she criticized government inaction, arguing that the growth of displaced people is “unsustainable and beyond what international humanitarian organizations can manage.” We’ll be watching the brand’s new Instagram account @atelierjolieofficial for updates.
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