Celebrity brands aren't exactly a novel phenomenon — by now, they're so ubiquitous they're almost unremarkable. But there's a new kid on the block: Angelina Jolie and her newly announced fashion brand, Atelier Jolie, a venture that's set to shake up the world of celebrity-run businesses.
On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actor unveiled the project on Instagram. "I’m starting something new today—a collective where everyone can create," she captioned the post. "Atelier Jolie is a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world."
The brand will allow customers to co-design garments with these tailors and makers, whom Jolie said inspired the business. "Designers often sketch or approve designs, but 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," a statement posted to Atelier Jolie's website reads.
Empowering the customer to act as designer, the statement opens with a question: "Everyone can create. Why then do we covet designer labels? Why simply buy the design of another person, when you can create yourself?"
Taking a conscious approach to production, Atelier Jolie will focus on upcycling old garments and fabrics. "We will use only leftover, quality vintage material and deadstock," the brand explains. "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" — an ethos in line with Jolie's practice of handing down her red carpet outfits.
At the premiere of The Eternals in 2021, Jolie's children breathed new life into items from the actor's enviable closet. Most notably, her eldest daughter, Zahara, donned a beaded Elie Saab gown Jolie wore to the Oscars in 2014.
Atelier Jolie launches sometime this fall — so get started on those upcycled design ideas.
