Showing posts with label Vogue Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vogue Japan. Show all posts

Sunday, May 26, 2024









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In early February 2024, Angelina Jolie came to Japan for Guerlain 's "WOMEN FOR BEES" project . Based on her idea to meet Japanese artisans and learn about their culture and techniques directly, "Angelina's One-Day Extracurricular Class" was realized. She said that she was not interested in conventional fashion photography, and as she is committed to working on environmental issues , the looks she prepared for this shoot were all sustainable items, including those from ATELIER JOLIE , which she founded . The look worn on the cover is a precious archive look from ISSEY MIYAKE 's 1989 Spring/Summer collection.

With a lively expression, she learns techniques from artisans, tries on a pop wig that evokes Harajuku culture , and dyes an Atelier Jolie dress with indigo by hand. It is a memorable story that can only be seen here. The book also includes an exclusive interview that gives a sense of her thoughtfulness and her strong will as a mother and creator. Don't miss it.

Learning about Japanese culture with Angelina Jolie and what she thinks is the true value of sustainable manufacturing as an artist Nothing beats experience. From traditions passed down from ancient times to the latest street culture. What is the true creativity of experiencing Japanese culture for yourself? Angelina Jolie 's extracurricular class during her visit to Japan for Guerlain's "WOMEN FOR BEES" project.

BY RIEKO SHIBAZAKI,EMI KAMEOKA,YUI SUGIYAMA,MASAYO UGAWA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAKUYA UCHIYAMA

May 27, 2024

I'm not interested in existing fashion stories. So Angelina Jolie told Tiffany Godoy, head of editorial content at VOGUE JAPAN. Angelina Jolie, who is active in many different roles, including as an actor, film director, activist, and representative of the fashion brand Atelier Jolie , had something she wanted to do during her stay in Japan. That was to have an immersive experience and interact with artists who protect Japanese culture, which has both tradition and innovation, and the natural world. She said she wanted to learn about the country and culture of Japan through experience and dialogue.

In addition, Jolie, who is the godmother of WOMEN FOR BEES, a female beekeeper training program established in 2020 by Guerlain and UNESCO, worked hard to raise awareness and promote the project in Tokyo and Osaka during her short stay.


Encounters and hopes
brought about by bees Jolie, godmother of Guerlain's "WOMEN FOR BEES" project, proposed a dialogue with the women of the "Ginza Honeybee Project." The project was launched in 2006 by volunteers working around Ginza, and Naoko Yamamoto, who serves as the beekeeping group leader, said, "We hold Bee Schools for elementary school students, and although it's simple, harvesting honey is fun." There were many smiles, not only from nature, but also from the encounters brought about by bees. Boots / personal belongings of Jolie



Powerful calligraphy filled with life Calligrapher
Mami picked up a brush at the age of 9 and began aspiring to become a calligrapher in high school. Heavily influenced by hip hop culture, she goes beyond the boundaries of kanji and kana to incorporate numbers and the alphabet into her expressions. Jolie entrusted the evangelist of letters, who said, "I want to convey the spirituality and joy of calligraphy to people all over the world," with the word "bee." Coat dress / both ATELIER JOLIE ( www.atelierjolie.com ) Earrings ¥13,200 / R ETHICAL


She spoke frankly about her houghts on the shoot, which took place near Tokyo: "I don't really like fashion shoots, regardless of the medium, because I feel like I'm helping to sell things. But I also believe that photography is originally a way for creativity and people to come together. I'm happy that this shoot was able to achieve the original purpose of the shoot. I don't intend to pretend to understand Japanese culture, but I thought it was very meaningful to learn about the techniques and customs that have been cultivated over a long and magnificent history. What was it? There's a Japanese word that means not to waste, right? Yes, 'Mottainai'. It wasn't some kind of movement, but it's about respecting things, techniques, time, and all of these things. I realized that the fact that this concept developed naturally in Japanese society tells us everything about the culture of this country."

All of the items Jolie wore in this shoot were sustainable, at her strong request. Jolie likens her experience to a Shakespeare play.

"You can learn more from watching an hour-long play than you can from years of conversation, so I think it's similar to a Shakespeare play. In fact, during the indigo dyeing experience, I spoke to a family that has been there for generations, and everyone, centered around the boy, smiled and connected, and created something new. I will treasure the coat that I dyed with the family in that workshop, along with my memories of them, for the rest of my life. I think that this is the least understood part of sustainability . You don't need a lot, just one special piece. By special, I don't mean something expensive, but something that is carefully made and has a personal value."

Jolie nodded enthusiastically at Godoy's words that the changes and imperfections of a piece of clothing that you have a special attachment to are like a tattoo that records the feelings you had when you first got it.

"You're right. You can also create a new pattern by layering a different design on top of the original. You can add in the encounters and experiences you had in life at that time. I have tattoos all over my body, and they are engraved with all the experiences I've had over the years. And of course, my failures in life too (laughs). It's me, including the embarrassing parts."


Let the voice of rags be heard
Jolie and his wife call him Mitsugu Sasaki, who runs Sasaki Clothing Store together. They create original remakes of old fabrics and clothes from around the world from 50 to 100 years ago using Japanese sashiko techniques. "What we're aiming for is the sashiko technique that was invented over 100 years ago by people in Tohoku, who had no choice but to use hemp to survive the freezing winters. If you continue to sashiko clothes, they will last for over 100 years and their value will not change. The greatest appeal is that you can create universal values ​​from rags." Jolie and his second son Pax were very interested in the fact that they do everything by hand, without using sewing machines. "We want to make things that are warm to the touch and that give you the feeling of the warmth of human hands." His clothes are available at the Atelier Jolie store in New York.
Jacket / MITSUGU SASAKI (Sasaki Clothing Store) Earrings ¥13,200 / R ETHICAL Skirt / Stylist's own






Having described herself as a punk, one incident made her realize that sustainability is also punk. "When I visited a vegan restaurant in California, the manager was a punk rocker, so I said to him, 'That's strange, isn't it?' He replied, 'That's totally normal.' At first I didn't understand what he meant, but then I thought about it, and to me, being punk, the punk way of life, is not to accept the things that are sold as a matter of course, but to question what they mean, think, fight, and go your own way. In other words, I realized that his way of life, not being bound by the existing system or image, and following his own will, is punk itself. For me, punk is the antithesis of jumping on what is called popular, following influential influencers, and big companies like yours that present 'this year's style.' What is the basis for this, and why are we forced to overconsume? Why do we feel that we are not enough if we do or don't have certain things? We are intentionally led to think this way, and we are incorporated into the consumption cycle that companies want us to have. So I think it's necessary for each of us to step away from those thoughts and the media for a moment and think about what we would have been like without them."

Was there a desire to create a brand that would not be swept up in such trends behind the founding of Atelier Jolie?

"I have no desire to become a fashion house or a fashion designer. I just wanted to create a place like an artist community where anyone can join and discover their own creativity . It's like inviting people to join. I expect many great artists to come and become a part of the home, but it's also a place where young artists can discover this home where they can be themselves and influence each other."



Japan Blue, a condensed version of 200 years of tradition Jolie had always wanted to try indigo dyeing. Her destination was Noguchi Dyeing Shop, which has been in business since the Edo period. Run by the sixth-generation owner Noguchi Hiroshi and the seventh-generation owner Noguchi Kazuhiko, the workshop is where they do everything from shaping the long board medium-sized yukata to indigo dyeing. The natural indigo they use, from Tokushima Prefecture, produces a deep, rich color. Under the guidance of the sixth-generation owner, Jolie dyed a pure white coat she had brought with her in her own color. "Every time I wear my coat, I'll remember today," Jolie said with a smile.


So what are your strengths as an artist?

"Probably my strength and weakness is that I'm very emotional. I'm more human than most, and that's my weakness. So, whether it's a film, or a trip, or even here and now, I feel like I want to connect with other people as a person, but those emotions can sometimes create chaos. But they can also create very authentic connections and raise good questions."

When Godoy said to Jolie, "I felt your strength in putting yourself in experiences and trying to make the most of them in the limited time we spent together," Jolie replied, "Thank you very much. But this intensity must have been a hassle at times, right?"

"I can't sleep well at night, I can't settle down. I've been trying to settle down since I was 5 years old, but I couldn't. But I think some people are born with that kind of personality. But we are all born with different personalities, and we have to be grateful that our differences and personalities create the world. I grew up surrounded by Hollywood artists. While people appreciate artists who are called "artists," I have seen Hollywood artists treated like celebrities and their talents not being properly appreciated. Maybe that's why I still write "self-employed" instead of "actor" in the occupation column on documents (laughs). But now, as I get older and my children grow up, I want to settle down as an artist."




Jolie thinks that being an artist means living as a purely creative person, without any connection to commerce or fame, and connecting with fellow creatives.

"When you achieve what the world calls success or become famous, you start to avoid being associated with celebrities. You say, 'I'm doing this,' but you want to be with your family, or do something more valuable. I find myself separating all work from my work as a film director. Because of this, I can't find anything I want to continue for a long time, and I tell myself that that's my life. I think that's because I've avoided Hollywood since I was young. My children don't like celebrities or fame, but I want them to be involved with the artist community and pure creativity. And because I want many people to be like that, I built a house called 'Atelier Jolie.' It's a place where people without cameras can feel comfortable when you close the door," she said, laughing, saying, "It's kind of like therapy for you."


A magnificent spirit in a small stone "Kekkai stones are originally placed in the gardens of Zen temples and tea houses, and are ritual implements that represent the boundary between two realms, with the meaning that 'entry beyond is prohibited.'" says Tosei Shinabe, a Zen monk who teaches zazen at Ryosokuin Temple in Kyoto. Shinabe himself travels to Awaji Island to practice zazen and collect stones, which he then ties together with refined hemp, which is made from the skin of cannabis stalks. "Cannabis is an ancient material that has been used in Japan since the Jomon period. The refined hemp, which is made by stripping the stalks, is a sacred fiber that is used in Shinto rituals and is used as a material for shimenawa ropes. We smooth this out and tie it to the stones." Jolie and Pax also experienced the process of braiding refined hemp into rope. They seemed to enjoy weaving it, but when they heard the wish that was put into the small stones, which was to respect nature and connect the spirit of living in unity with nature to the future, their expressions became serious. "Over time, this stone will return to being just a stone. It is a perfect representation of impermanence."
Knitwear: ¥22,000/BAY APT. Earrings: ¥13,200/R ETHICAL Skirt: Stylist's own


Finally, when I asked her about the chaos that is rampant in the world, as she is involved in various humanitarian projects, she said with a clouded expression, "I feel like the world is going back to where it was before."

"Young people say that when they see injustice, they want to fight it, but as they get older, they realize that the injustices that we fought many times in the past and thought we would change have gone back to where they were before we fought. For example, my first assignment as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador was to help refugees return home at the border of Afghanistan. I believed that we were fighting for one thing and that we would never walk a different path in the future. But 20 years later, Afghanistan was handed over to the Taliban. There must be many people who are devastated by this situation. I think it's even worse because we don't know what to do to protect people in these dark times and stabilize the world we live in. I think that community may be part of the solution. I think what we can do now is to become part of a community of good people, understand the reality of the suffering, pain, and darkness that is rampant in the world, and accept that it's not easy to solve."



When asked what is needed from the fashion industry in this situation, Jolie calmly responds:

"Firstly, isn't it okay to acknowledge our own shortcomings? I think it's important to acknowledge that we are forcing a certain idea on young people, that they have to have this. For example, let's say someone is overjoyed to get their hands on a $3 T-shirt. I'm happy that they have that option, but at the same time, it's important to question how it's made and who is being exploited. I think it's important to take a step back and think about what self-expression is."

Styling: Yoko Miyake Hair: Massimo Serini Makeup: Yuka Washizu using GUERLAIN for Angelina, Chacha for Bee Keepers at Beauty Direction Manicure: Naoko Takano at Nadine Prop Styling: Takashi Imayoshi Tailor: Azuna Saito Production: HK Productions Text: Rieko Shibazaki Styling Assistant: Miyabi Nara Special thanks to Naoko Aono and Re;PLACE KOISHIKAWA

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