“Our atelier is like a nuclear reactor of clothing. It’s like a space where things can explode. You know when people put on the glasses to watch the bomb go off, that’s how I feel about it. It’s like, ‘OK Carmen, let’s put the glasses on, push the button. Ready? Whoosh!’” - Milla Jovovich

In 2003, together with long-term friend, co-designer and model alike, Carmen Hawk, Milla launched her own clothing label, the updated retro chic-style Jovovich-Hawk in Los Angeles, USA. The critically acclaimed fashion label is entering its fifth season and has established an honorable and admirable reputation among fashion critics and customers alike. In 2005, the duo expanded from LA and opened a New York showroom; although the Jovovich-Hawk Los Angeles and New York showrooms are available only by appointment, select Jovovich-Hawk designs can be purchased at e.g. Harvey Nichols and Fred Segal, both highly respected North-American retailers. Additionally, the MNG Limited Edition Jovovich-Hawk collection is available at select Mango stores and retailers.

According to Milla herself, the decision to launch her own label sprung partly from her modeling industry past. “Before, being a model, it was just a job, and I was making fun of it. But today, I take my career more seriously. The fact that a reader may buy an Armani item because she’d seen it on me in a magazine is very important to me. So much so that I intend to launch my own label,” she said prior to the label launch. Carmen Hawk also has a long modeling career behind her - indeed, she became designer Alexander McQueen’s “muse” only shortly after she entered the modeling business at the age of 16. Hawk and Milla met for the first time in a mid-90’s Parisian cafeteria through a mutual friend and, being alike in so many ways, soon (albeit not instantly) hit it off. In early 2000 or thereabouts, Hawk was in the progress of designing her own clothesline, when the two decided to team up - and voilà! In 2003, they launched Jovovich-Hawk.

The style of the Jovovich Hawk label represents comfort and effortlessness - Milla and Carmen “share the view that clothes have to be wearable, comfortable and need not make a spectacle of the wearer.” Many Jovovich-Hawk dresses reflect the elegance and romance of the 20’s and 30’s - “our clothes definitely have an old worldness, they have that charm from another time,” - and have been worn by such celebrities as Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Bilson, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Heidi Klum. According to the pair, some of their designs have been inspired by cultural classics - e.g. a bluebird embroidered on a Jovovich-Hawk shirt is a reference to a Charles Bukowski poem. However, although many of their outfits are inspired by cultural history, they reject the idea of their collection being “costume-esque” clothing. “It’s wearable and emotional. - Character-driven. - But not spectacle.”

The first Jovovich-Hawk collection was a huge triumph - Fred Segal, one of the many high-end boutiques in America, purchased the entire collection exclusively, which was quickly sold out at an average of $2,500 (!) a piece. Their second collection, being even more successful than the first, was also instantly sold out, and in 2006, Jovovich-Hawk was one of the ten highly reckoned designer finalists at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award dinner. (The winning prize, however, went to Doo-Ri Chung.) In 2007, well-known fashion label Mango invited Jovovich-Hawk to design a Limited Edition collection for the label, which debuted that Spring at select Mango boutiques.

Furthermore, Jovovich-Hawk has collaborated with e.g. the Clothes Off Our Back charity organization, which is one of Milla’s many supported charities. The duo designed several unique pieces to be exclusively sold at charity auctions benefiting COOB. Furthermore, a more affordable Jovovich-Hawk collection for Target was launched in the United States on March 2 2008.

For more information on the label, online shopping and inquiries, please visit the official website of Jovovich-Hawk at Jovovich-Hawk.com. For a collection of Jovovich-Hawk related footage, have a look at our special section of the MillaFan.com Photo Archive dedicated solely to Jovovich-Hawk. You can also find a selection of Jovovich-Hawk related videos at our Media Archive.

• Jovovich-Hawk.com - official site
• Milla Fan Jovovich-Hawk Photo Gallery
• Jovovich-Hawk video clips at the Milla Fan Media Archive