Tracy Reese’s Detroit-based label Hope for Flowers is one part clothing line, one part platform. She’s splitting her time between designing seasonal collections and building out two major programs: One will train local sewers and craftspeople as apprentices in her studio, with the goal of eventually being able to make custom, hand-finished Hope for Flowers pieces entirely in Detroit. The second will offer art and music classes to local children, many of whom no longer have access to those courses in school as a result of the city’s 2013 bankruptcy.
It’s hardly a surprise to hear that art was Reese’s favorite subject growing up, but her enthusiasm goes beyond establishing a creative outlet for kids. She believes creativity is also critical to Detroit’s future, and that with the right support, the city can become a bigger destination for art, fashion, music, theater, and more.
The same passion and sense of community are felt in the clothes. Reese isn’t interested in flights of fancy anymore; she’s designing real clothes for real women, the ones shaping Detroit’s future and bringing their kids to art class on Saturdays. They’re pieces that boost your mood and gently enhance, rather than complicate, your life. Fall 2021 continues in that direction with a newly audacious, saturated palette: lapis, cherry, fuchsia. A portrait by Alice Neel of a man in a red striped T-shirt was pinned to her mood board; it inspired the bold, imperfect stripes on a few stretchy dresses, each hand-painted by Reese’s design apprentice. Reese lent her own drawing skills to a charming toile print: Look closely, and nestled among the trees and flowers are tiny hearts, stars, and words of encouragement, like grace.
That dress’s silhouette—smocked at the waist with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt—will be just as appealing to HFF fans for its striking mix of polish and ease. It came in a vivid fuchsia floral print and a simpler black version with scattered blooms. Those flowers were hand-painted, too, and could offer a glimpse of how artful and hands-on Reese’s future collections may become as she builds her team of apprentices.
