American actress Angelina Jolie has announced a new business venture called Atelier Jolie which will enable customers to work with master tailors, pattern makers and artisans to create their own designs.
"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," Jolie said on her Instagram account.
Saying that the project will make use of deadstock fabric and vintage materials, she announced the goal of forming a large team of refugees and disadvantaged individuals based on their abilities, aiming to provide sustainable support.
"We will spotlight the people who play a part in each creation. We will bring together a diverse team, including apprenticeships for refugees and other talented, underappreciated groups, with positions of dignity based on skill," she said on the brand's website.
The project hopes to "help share the richness of their cultural heritage and support the development of their own businesses."
Customers will also have the option to "repair or transform their old clothes" through upcycling as a way of eliminating waste.
"Even if we are inspired by the designs of others, the highest form of self-expression and the most fun is to create for ourselves," said Jolie.
Jolie began working with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2001 and in 2012 was appointed to the role of Special Envoy.
She left her position as Special Envoy in December 2022 and felt it was time to "work differently" by establishing direct relations with refugees and local organizations.
