Angelina Jolie covers the new issue of Vogue Japan. The photos are exquisite – because no matter what changes, Angelina Jolie can take a f-cking photo. This shoot, however, is different from many of the shoots we’ve seen of Angelina over the years.
And the difference, of course, is in the culture, in the specific aesthetic of Japan which is, and you might know this if you’ve been visiting this site over the last few months since I came back from Japan in December, the BEST COUNTRY EVER.
And perhaps Angelina feels that way now, lol, since she herself was in Japan, with second son Pax, for the photo shoot, the interview, but also in her role as ambassador for UNESCO and Guerlain’s Women for Bees initiative. She spent time in Tokyo and Osaka, and with the women of the Ginza Honey Bee Project, teaching children about bees and biodiversity conservation. One of the images from the shoot features Angelina, wearing a white Atelier Jolie coat dress, and Mami, a calligrapher “influenced by hip-hop culture…[who] goes beyond the boundaries of kanji and kana and incorporates numbers and alphabets into [their artistic] expressions”.
The word that Angelina asked Mami to interpret through the artform is “bee” (second slide if the carousel defaults to 1):
And this really is the focus of so much of the interview and the images that accompany her Vogue Japan cover story. Angelina’s intention was to “have an immersive experience by interacting with artists who protect the traditional and innovative Japanese culture and the natural world” and to “learn about the country and culture of Japan through experience and dialogue”. Much of that intention has been captured in the photos, as the entire piece connects her designs with Japanese artists whose creative ethos aligns with the work and purpose of Atelier Jolie. Everything she’s wearing in the shoot is, at her “strong request”, “made from sustainable items”.
One of the artists mentioned in the piece is Mitsugu Sasaki…
“… who runs Sasaki Clothing Store' with his wife. She creates original pieces using Japanese sashiko techniques, using old cloth and clothing from around the world from 50 to 100 years ago. “What we are aiming for is the sashiko technique, which was created over 100 years ago by the people of Tohoku, who had only linen to survive the extremely cold winters, to increase heat retention. If you continue to sashiko clothes, you can make them for 100 years. It lasts longer than that, and its value remains the same. The greatest appeal is that we can create universal values from rags." Jolie and her second son, Pax, were very interested in the fact that everything was done by hand, without the use of sewing machines. "I want it to be something that feels warm to the touch, and that makes you feel the warmth of a human hand."
According to Vogue, Sasaki’s clothes are available at Atelier Jolie in New York. Again, as she said when she launched her brand, one of the aims was to build a community of artists exploring their creativity, and artisans sharing traditions and skills, finding ways to be fashionable and expressive and ethical all at once.
Angelina’s trip to Japan was meant to spotlight the legacy of Japanese artists who’ve been doing this for centuries. Like indigo dying and her visit to “Noguchi Dye Shop, which has been around since the Edo period… run by the 6th generation Noguchi Hiroshi and the 7th generation Kazuhiko Noguchi”.But there’s legacy and then there’s innovation. What would Japan be without innovation? Especially where fashion is concerned. She’s wearing Issey Miyake on the cover and this dress, the shape, the material, those signature Miyake pleats!
If you’ve been to Japan though, it’s also all about street style, from the playful style vibes in Harajuku to the layers and structures you see on women just heading to their office jobs in Kobe to the specific Asian punk energy of Koenji – I saw such a range of fashionable people when we were in Japan experimenting with shapes and cuts from head to toe. And this is on display in Angelina’s Vogue shoot too.
“Tomihiro Kono, a hair, head prop and wig artist, answered Jolie's wish to meet artists who are creating the latest expressions. Kono is an innovator who is expanding the range of expression of creative hair extensions that can be enjoyed like hair accessories, and fusing art and street fashion.”
So basically there are two stars being profiled here: Angelina Jolie and Japan, both. It’s such a thoughtful and respectful way to do a fashion shoot for a fashion magazine imprint in another country and this obviously is what Angelina has been known for through the years.
She’ll be at the Tony Awards with The Outsiders in a few weeks, presumably wearing Atelier Jolie. Can’t wait to see what she showcases on that carpet.
Click here to jump to the full feature in Vogue.
