Angelina Jolie ventures into sustainable fashion design with Atelier Jolie

Actress Angelina Jolie has announced the upcoming launch of a sustainable fashion project, Atelier Jolie, set to debut in the autumn season. The initiative aims to empower customer creativity by utilising surplus garments, promoting a fashion movement rooted in recycling, and actively involving refugees. 

"We will use only leftover, quality vintage materials and deadstock," the actress explained on the Instagram account of this new project, which she unveiled on Thursday. 

"I am building a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world," she said, "a place to have fun. To create your own designs with freedom. To discover yourself."

An approach, she pointed out, to "democratise the fashion industry, allowing customers to have access to a collective of emerging designers and master artisans."

The initiative, set to launch this autumn, aims to "repair or recycle 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."

As a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the actress is deeply engaged in humanitarian work, and through this project, she aims to bring together a diverse team, including apprenticeships for refugees and other "talented, under appreciated groups, with positions of dignity based on skill," she emphasised on the Atelier Jolie website.

Jolie has announced her intention to collaborate with artisans and creators from across the globe, aiming to celebrate and showcase the richness of their cultural heritage and to support the development of their own businesses. 

Jolie extends an invitation to individuals worldwide, posing two simple questions: "Why then do we covet designer labels? Why simply buy the design of another person, when you can create it yourself?"

The star of "Salt" affirmed that "we can all collect, appreciate, and be influenced by the designs of others. But the highest form of self-expression - and I believe the most fun - is to create for ourselves." 

With the intention of highlighting the work of tailors, beyond that of designers, she stated, "Fashion is an art that I've had the opportunity to play with over the years. I've designed clothing and learned about shapes with many of the best tailors."

"It is the tailors who make the difference and who I truly love creating with. And yet, these makers rarely receive the credit and respect they deserve," she concluded.