Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese Goes for Uniform Dressing With Feminine Flourishes

In August, Tracy Reese opened the doors to her new Hope for Flowers studio in her hometown Detroit. Since then, the designer has been expanding her brand pillars of conscious, sustainable design and production; local community art programming (including her newer Expert Sewer Apprenticeship program), and partnerships. 

“It’s always been baby steps — it took about a year to get the apprenticeship written and approved. We’ve been building relationships in Detroit so that we have a pipeline of people that want to be a part of our business, which has been awesome. We’re taking it really slow because the goal is for these people to become permanent Hope for Flowers employees,” she told WWD of the program.

Within her latest ready-to-wear collection, Reese has unveiled the fruits of the apprenticeship via her first capsule of Hope for Flowers, Made in Detroit organic cotton knitwear, as seen throughout the collection’s strong cotton rib layers with enveloping cowl-necks.

Throughout the fall look book, the knits are styled with the collection’s utility-minded, easy-to-wear, sartorial wardrobing including boiled wool outerwear and skirts (a great black midi version with Naia satin yoke); trans-seasonal cargo pants; sensual-yet-cozy ruched Tencel and wool jersey black dresses, and embroidered or woodblock and floral printed frilled blouses and easy dresses (said to be key categories for the brand). 

Reese said fall’s inspiration stemmed from uniform dressing, with an exploration of naval influences and indigo hues, with signature feminine flourishes — the “yin and yang that brings things together,” she said of the intriguing wardrobe staples. 

Throughout fall, Reese continued to offer real clothes with optimistic pops, like a great pumpkin-hued rib skirt with bright cobalt blue blouse and cropped navy peacoat with shearling collar. 

“I want to design and make things you want to keep and wear for years, and that’s always the biggest compliment,” she said, adding that the Hope for Flowers, Made in Detroit styles will be produced as small-batch production. “We can take our time over the course of the summer to ship in September. I think it’s going to work out really well. It’s been a brain-teaser but I’m super optimistic that we have one program figured out and I know we can execute the quality, which will be on par with any of our competitors, but made in Detroit.”