Angelina Jolie joins Guerlain's Women for Bees in Japan
Established in 2020, Guerlain’s Women for Bees has been empowering women entrepreneurs through beekeeping conversation. The pioneering initiative started the journey in the South of France and has expanded its footprint globally to Cambodia, Mexico, Rwanda and Japan.
In February earlier this year, Angelina Jolie, women’s rights advocate and the godmother of Women for Bees, travelled to Japan with a mission to raise awareness of gender equality in beekeeping. There, she was joined by two local NPOs to lead a Bee School session alongside Guerlain Japan ambassador Mirei Kiritani.
In a nation where the profession of beekeeping is male-dominated and faces challenges in passing down knowledge, Guerlain has successfully trained 18 women beekeepers with the support of the Ginza Mitsubachi project in Tokyo and the Umeda Mitsubachi project in Osaka. During Angelina Jolie’s trip to Japan, she had the opportunity to learn first-hand about bee preservation with these graduates.
“Women are born capable and so empowered and it’s often only the restrictions put on them that make it impossible for them to reach their full potential. It’s such a memorable experience to meet different women of the training program and learn about the science of beekeeping around the world, forming friendships and sisterhoods. It’s not about me or Guerlain lifting them up, but giving them the space and taking them seriously as thoughtful professionals who have so much to contribute.”
- Angelina Jolie
In addition to that, another 12 women beekeepers are scheduled to join the programme this year. Guerlain’s Bee School sessions, which will run throughout 2024, also reaffirm the Maison’s commitment to educating future generations about the importance of protecting biodiversity and bees, the planet’s precious pollinators.
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