“The young punk in me would dream of painting on the walls.” Angelina Jolie opens her clothing store in the attic where Basquiat died.

On December 5, Angelina Jolie’s first boutique was opened at 57 Great Jones Street in New York’s Noho district. 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 allocated space. This is located in one of the most popular areas of the city and has an area of ​​more than 600 m2 spread over two floors. In occupying this space, Angelina Jolie follows a number of notable artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was a tenant of the small building’s owner, Andy Warhol, in the early 1980s.

Although the terms of the lease are not known for sure, they seem to be quite strict. Agreed Art News, The property was available for rent in November 2022 for $60,000 (€60,700) per month. Angelina Jolie will sign a lease for eight years, up from the original ten years. “I’ll probably lose money, maybe even for a while,” he said Wall Street Journal. “If I manage to put in certain things that I consider to be improvements, and if I cover my costs, that will be a big win.” He also explains on the podcast mic Fashion business that the goal is not to see how big their brand can get, but rather if their model can work.

Innovative concept

The store is a reflection of the actress’ intentions for her brand. In particular, he wants customers to be part of the creative process of the clothes. So the pieces on offer can be bought as is, or taken over, or even completely redesigned with the store’s teams, some of whom are students at Parsons School of Design. Interested parties can therefore select embroidery, buttons and fabrics from the store and even bring their own. The idea is that they really love their clothes, they keep them for a long time, trying to consume both better and less. “If we dress like everyone else and follow the trends, we don’t feel alive and we get bored,” the actress explains in the same podcast.

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

A place steeped in history

57 The Great Jones has indeed passed through many hands, some more famous than others. Built in 1860, over the years it served as a stable, metallurgical plant and the headquarters of Paul Kelly’s criminal gang, the Five Points Gang, before being purchased by Andy Warhol in 1970. He then rented the second floor loft to Jean. -Michel Basquiat in 1983 when he became his mentor. He wrote about it in his diary at that time. “He’s afraid of being nothing more than a meteorite. And I told him not to worry, that he wouldn’t be. But sometimes I still get scared because he rents our building on Great Jones, and what if he’s just a meteor and he doesn’t have the money to pay your rent? The walls will eventually bear witness to the creation of the artist’s iconic works such as Zulu king And Riding with death. They will also witness his death in 1988 from a heroin overdose. Andy Warhol’s successors sold the place two years later. It has since become something of a shrine for street artists who regularly come to paint its facade in homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat.

A story that Angelina Jolie wants to preserve, leaving the facade and labeled walls, inside and out. “The young punk in me dreamed of defying normality and painting on the walls,” the actress explains at the microphone. Fashion business . He also offers to paint on T-shirts sold for 15 euros. “I’ve never been to a fashion show, nor the Met Gala (…),” she said WSJ whereas Vogue: he explains. “I don’t want to be a great designer. I want to build a home for others to become.