Hole and hearty

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie revealed she was a teenage punk who used to cut up her clothes and burn holes in them. She talked about her “dark” style choices when she was younger as she launches her own fashion brand Atelier Jolie, which will open a shop in New York in November to provide tailoring and upcycling services as well as made-to-measure pieces.

“I was quite dark when I was young. I was a punk, not the popular kid — going to thrift stores, cutting things up, burning little teeny cigarette holes into things, that was me as a teenager, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Angelina admitted that she was a particularly rebellious fashion lover when speaking about her previous looks to Vogue magazine.

Her shop will also boast a gallery and a cafe and will provide a made-to-measure clothing service as well as repairs as part of a commitment to sustainability.

Hand-painted patches will cost around $10 to apply and Angelina has been looking into a way to get a person’s tattoos imprinted on the fabric which will be used to repair their clothing. She said, “We’re trying to see if we can take photographs of tattoos and turn them into patches — the idea is to make your clothing your own, instead of simply getting rid of it.”

Angelina went on to add that her style has changed a lot over the years, but she’s still learning to understand who she really is when it comes to clothing. She added, “Sometimes the way you dress says, ‘Don’t mess with me — I’ve got my armour on’. But I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft.”