Everything We Know About Angelina Jolie’s Newest Venture, Atelier Jolie

Angelina Jolie is entering the consumer game, but it’s not exactly what you might think. She won’t be competing with Rihanna and launching a makeup line, and she’s not getting into the wellness space à la Goop. Instead, the actress is launching Atelier Jolie, a fashion-based business venture with a very Jolie-appropriate twist. Here’s everything we know so far, below.

Will Atelier Jolie only live online?

Atelier Jolie officially opened its first brick-and-mortar location on December 5th in New York City. The three floor, 6,600-square-foot space space is located at 57 Great Jones Street and is the former studio of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Per Business of Fashion, the space is part retail store, cafe, and community center with options for customers to sample food and drinks and consult designers for custom pieces.

Jolie maintained the original graffiti exterior of the building while switching up the interior in favor of limewash-painted walls and and bronze accents. “There’s a long history to it and it’s very important,” Jolie told The BoF Podcast. “That is not my place to change or put some big sign over.”

Atelier Jolie’s retail area, located on the ground floor, is divided into three sections. There will be a limited run of season-less pieces available for purchase (which can also be found online), a pattern which can be constructed at a tailor or in the Atelier, and a custom pattern which patrons can use to make their own designs.

“I tried to make it as open as possible and hope that it goes well,” Jolie explained. “You never know the people that will come in or how they’re going to use the space. But I would hope there’s some goodwill and genuine interest in supporting it the way it is meant to be.”

Jolie reportedly has intentions to open additional Atelier Jolie locations in the future. Any guesses where she will head to next?

What is Atelier Jolie’s first project?

In addition to Atelier Jolie’s retail efforts, over the summer, it was announced that the label will release its first ever capsule collection in collaboration with Chloé, co-designed by Jolie and Gabriela Hearst, the former creative director of the French Luxury brand. The collaboration, which ranges in price from $850 to $5,000, will be available at Chloé boutiques and online in January 2024.

Quiet luxury is the name of the game with this collection, which features simple, timeless designs used to express the many different facets of femininity. Tailored pieces like suit vests and trousers contrast the light, airiness of silk-satin dresses and skirts. Chloé’s feminine signatures are at play, like the house’s lavallière shirt, this time rendered in a deadstock hammered silk-satin. Jolie, meanwhile, references her own past in the collection with a white cotton top, modeled after a dress from her childhood. Drama comes in the form of a velvet opera cape and a tailored suit jacket, adding a bit of intrigue to this otherwise easy-to-shop range.

Accessories will also be featured in the collection. The jewelery highlights organic shapes in gold and silver paired with chains, black ribbons, and chords. Black pumps feature a v-shape cutout and the added surprise of a curved heel.

Made up of at least 80% lower-impact materials, the collection incorporates deadstock and natural fabrics like organic silk, organic crepe de chine, and certified wool. It also features partnerships with Akanjo, a social enterprise based in Madagascar committed to training and promoting craftsmanship, and La Fabrique Nomade, a Paris-based program that promotes refugee and migrant artisans in France.

“From the moment I heard about Angelina’s vision for Atelier Jolie, I believed in it,” Hearst explained in a statement. “It is a way to elevate others through the beauty of garment-making and her deep respect for the environment. It’s an honor for me that Chloé will be the first collaborator for Atelier Jolie, as both have high ideals for the betterment of our species. That is the reason why I love both Angelina and Chloé so deeply.”

“Very few luxury brands are a certified B Corp,” Jolie said in the statement. “It was important to me to work with Chloé, one of the first luxury brands to be a B Corp. It has been a privilege to design with Gabriela Hearst, and I hope all women will feel comfortable and beautiful in this capsule collection. My earnings from this collaboration will be invested in establishing apprenticeships for tailors and artisans at Atelier Jolie.”

What is Atelier Jolie?

The creation of a sparse Instagram page, @atelierjolieofficial, signaled the news back in May, introducing the collective as an attempt to “democratize the fashion industry” and provide customers access to emerging designers and artisans. The basis of Atelier Jolie will be an online resource to help source garment makers who make use of dead stock and vintage materials to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

Jolie shared more information about the project on her personal account, where she posted the Atelier Jolie’s logo, designed by Peter Miles. “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,” she wrote, adding that the idea came from her “deep respect for the many tailors and makers” she’s worked with over the years.

On the project’s website, Jolie went more into the reasoning behind Atelier Jolie. “Everyone can create. Why then do we covet designer labels?” she asked. “Why simply buy the design of another person, when you can create yourself?”

It seems in general, Atelier Jolie will act as a liaison between creatives and consumers, connecting those who want one-of-a-kind pieces with those who have the talent and product to make them. “We hope to create a community of creativity and inspiration, regardless of socio-economic background,” Jolie wrote. There will also be an emphasis on highlighting and supporting the creatives involved in the project, through apprenticeships and spotlights. In addition to Chloé, Jolie has also already teamed up with other creatives, including London-based milliner Justin Smith, American artist Duke Riley, and South African lacemaker Pierre Fouché.

Why is Angelina Jolie doing this?

It’s not rare for celebrities these days to lend their name to the consumer space, often slapping it on products to sell to their fans. Atelier Jolie, however, does seem like a natural fit for the actress—more a passion project than a cash grab. Jolie is very active in refugee work through the UN Refugee Agency, and she promised Atelier Jolie will include opportunities for “refugees and other talented, under-appreciated groups.” In addition, the actress is no stranger to the fashion space. She has been a red carpet staple for decades, and at this point worked with every other designer under the sun. It seems that now, she wants to give back. “I don’t want to be a big fashion designer,” she said to Vogue. “I want to build a house for other people to become that.” Recently, she has been embracing more of a sustainable approach to fashion, wearing vintage pieces, and giving her dresses a second life by lending them to her daughters to wear on the red carpet. So while to some, Atelier Jolie, might seem a bit out of left field, the ethos behind the project fits squarely into what we know about and have come to expect from the actress.