Angelina Jolie opens her clothing store in the loft where Basquiat died

It is at 57 Great Jones Street in New York’s NoHo district, where Angelina Jolie’s first boutique opened on December 5. The American actress announced the launch of her brand Atelier Jolie last May. Six months later, the public can finally discover the first collection, and above all, the first dedicated space. It is located in one of the most popular areas of the city, and has a surface area of ​​just over 600m2 spread over two floors. By occupying this space, Angelina Jolie has replaced some celebrated artists, including Jean Michel Basquiat, who was a tenant of Andy Warhol, owner of the small building in the early 1980s.

Although the terms of the lease are not known for certain, they appear to have been quite stringent. According to art news, In November 2022, the property was available for a monthly rent of US$60,000 (60,700 euros). Angelina Jolie may have signed a lease for eight years, whereas the ten-year lease was initially imposed. “I’m probably going to lose money, maybe even for a while,” she said. wall street journal, And added: “If I manage to fix some things that I consider improvements, and if I cover my costs, that will already be a huge victory.” She also explains on the podcast’s microphone fashion business That the goal is not to see how big a reach their brand can reach, but to see if their model can work.

an innovative concept

The store is a reflection of the actress’s intentions towards her brand. Specifically, she wants customers to be a part of the creative process of the clothing. Thus, the pieces offered can be purchased as is or taken as is, or completely redesigned with the store’s teams, some of whom are Parsons School of Design students. So interested parties can choose embroidery, buttons and fabrics from the store, and even bring their own. The idea is that they really love their clothes, keeping them longer, in an effort to consume both better and less. “If we dress like everyone else and follow trends, we don’t feel alive and we get bored,” the actress explains in the same podcast.

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Customers can come and go as they please, and sit down to browse samples in the store’s café, called Eat Offbeat. Run by refugee and immigrant chefs, including Syrian Raala Ziadeh, it offers Middle Eastern specialties like baklava, ashta or kenafeh. In this way, Angelina Jolie wants everyone to feel welcome in her store, whose cultural heritage is still visible on some walls full of graffiti. Discovered during restoration, they are the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

A place steeped in history

The 57 Great Joneses have actually passed through several hands, some more famous than others. Built in 1860, over the years it served as a stable, a metal factory and the headquarters of criminal Paul Kelly’s gang, the Five Points Gang, before being purchased by Andy Warhol in 1970. -He then gave the second floor house on rent to Jean. -Michel Basquiat in 1983, when he became his mentor. He wrote about it in his diary at the time: “He is afraid of nothing more than a meteor. And I told him not to worry, he wouldn’t do that. However, sometimes I feel scared, because he is renting our building on Great Jones and what if he is just a meteor and he has no money to pay your rent? The walls would eventually witness the creation of the painter’s symbolist works, such as king zulu And ride with death, They would also witness his death from a heroin overdose in 1988. Andy Warhol’s heirs sold the place after two years. Since then, it has become a sanctuary of sorts for street artists, who regularly come to spray paint on its facade in homage to Jean Michel Basquiat.

A history that Angelina Jolie wants to preserve, leaving the front and tagged walls intact inside and out. “The young punk in me dreams of protesting mediocrity and painting on walls,” the actress explains on the microphone. fashion business , She also offers to spray paint T-shirts, selling them for 15 euros. “I’ve never been to a fashion show or the Met Gala (…),” she said. WSJ Whereas the trend She explains: “I don’t want to be a great designer. I want to build a house so that other people can also build such a house.