Tracy Reese is a pioneer and champion of many things, among them fashion, sustainability, and Detroit, her hometown. On Friday, August 25^th, all these passions came together when the designer opened her new Hope for Flowers location at the mix-use Freelon development in Detroit’s historic Sugar Hill District with a grand opening ceremony attended by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

“Over the past eight years, Motor City Match has helped to cultivate and discover a great deal of the entrepreneurial talent we have here in Detroit,” Mayor Duggan said at the ribbon cutting. “Today, we celebrate a Detroiter who already has achieved national success and is opening her new studio and showroom right here in her hometown. All Detroiters are incredibly proud of Tracy Reese for her impact on the fashion industry and the legacy she is creating to inspire more young fashion designers here in our city.”

The 3,200-square-foot custom-built space, at 119 Garfield St. in Midtown Detroit, serves multiple functions for the CFDA member’s burgeoning business. The location is built around community and is groundbreaking in more ways than one. For example, Reese has a studio for design and photoshoots and a buyers showroom. There is also a dedicated classroom for art enrichment classes and community workshops and an in-house factory space for sewer apprenticeships.

A main tenet of Hope for Flowers is sustainability and Reese made sure to incorporate a responsible approach to the space designed and built by Detroit-based firm Urban Alterscape. Sustainable principles inform the location, from cork, reclaimed wood, and felt acoustic fixtures made from recycled materials, and LED light fixtures, high-efficiency heating and cooling, and water-saving devices.

Preservation of Affordable Housing POAH and funding from Motor City Match and the Ford Foundation helped make the accommodation at the new studio possible.

“Tracy’s commitment to strengthening her hometown of Detroit, creating high-quality job opportunities and sustainable production methods, and providing direct access to arts education for the community made Hope for Flowers a great fit for The Freelon,” POAH Vice President of Redevelopment Julie DeGraff Velazquez said.

As for Tracy Reese herself, she has every reason to feel proud of this immense milestone in her impressive career.  “Almost 2 1/2 years ago, we embarked upon a quest to find a permanent home for Hope for Flowers in Detroit,” she said. “It’s been a long and eventful journey with many blessings. I am relieved, elated, proud, and grateful to finally move into our new space.”

Congratulations, Tracy!