It's the news we weren't especially expecting to hear this morning. Movie star, mother, United Nations special envoy and patron of a spray of important charities, Angelina Jolie, is dipping her toe in the fashion sphere.

In recent years, the 47-year-old has been more often spotted advocating for refugee rights, making speeches in support of Afghanistan's 'Women's Day', taking her children to college or screenings, or attending State Dinners in honour of the South Korean President, than she has attending fashion shows or making a big deal out of glittering red carpet appearances. So, it might come as something of a surprise to hear of her venture into the fashion arena.

And yet, Atelier Jolie, which launched on Wednesday, May 18, is exactly that.

The eponymous business venture will focus on heroing the hard work of tailors, pattern makers, textile designers and various other artisans around the world, allowing customers to commission designs and garments from them. It will be a retail site with a peer-to-peer element, if you will, matching shoppers and wannabe fashion designers with the people that can turn their visions into reality.

Of course, it wouldn't be an Angelina Jolie venture without some element of altruism. And in this particular case, her philanthropy hinges on helping shine light on the painstaking work of independent artisans, as well as specifically supporting the efforts of skilled refugees by ushering them into paid apprenticeships.

According to a statement released by Jolie herself:

'I am building a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors and artisans from around the world.

'Fashion is an art I’ve had the opportunity to play with over the years. I’ve designed clothes and learned about shapes with many of the best tailors.

'Designers often sketch or approve designs, but it is the tailors who make the difference and who I truly love creating with. And yet, these makers rarely receive the credit and respect they deserve.'

There is, as you probably suspected, as sustainability element to the venture too. She promises that designs produced under the Atelier Jolie umbrella will be made exclusively from leftover, vintage and deadstock fabrics and the company will also encourage people to upcycle and repair things that they already have in their wardrobes.

So far, we've not been given much more information. We don't as yet have a launch date. But if you want to check out the website, it's here AtelierJolie.com

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