Angelina Jolie unveils fashion venture aimed at sustainability, assisting refugees

NEW YORK (AP) - Angelina Jolie announced a new fashion venture Wednesday aimed at allowing customers to participate in the making of their own creations with master tailors, pattern makers and artisans around the world while keeping discarded fabric out of landfills.

The actress, director, and former special envoy for the United Nations’ refugee agency said on Instagram and the new website of Atelier Jolie that the project will make use of deadstock fabric and vintage materials.

"We hope to create a community of creativity and inspiration, regardless of socio-economic background," Jolie posted on the brand’s site. "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."

The project hopes to "help share the richness of their cultural heritage and support the development of their own businesses," Jolie wrote. In addition, customers will be able to repair or upcycle pieces from their closets as a way to eliminate waste.

"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," she said.

The idea, Jolie said, stems from her "appreciation and deep respect for the many tailors and makers I've worked with over the years, a desire to make use of the high-quality vintage material and deadstock fabric already available, and also to be part of a movement to cultivate more self-expression."

No further details were released. When Jolie stepped down from her U.N. special envoy post in December, she said she felt it was time "to work differently" by directly engaging with refugees and local organizations.

Jolie’s fashion choices generate intense interest in the media. She and her children are often photographed and their styles dissected. Two of her children, Shiloh and Zahara, wore pieces from their mother’s archive to the premiere of her 2021 film, "Eternals."