Fashion
Tracy Reese
born 1964 · fashion designer
Detroit-born fashion designer and Cass Tech graduate who dressed Michelle Obama and later returned home to build a sustainable label in Detroit.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 62- Detroit years
- 1964–1980s, 2010s–
- Field
- Fashion
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Reese grew up in Detroit, where her mother encouraged her to sew and draw, and she graduated from Cass Technical High School before studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York. After apprenticing with designers in New York she launched her own label in the late 1990s, known for feminine prints, bright color and wearable dresses. She joined the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2007, and her clothes reached a wide audience when Michelle Obama wore a Tracy Reese dress to speak at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Reese later moved back to Detroit and in 2019 launched Hope for Flowers, a sustainable fashion line designed and made with attention to local makers and responsible materials, pairing it with art and craft programs for the community. She has become a prominent voice for rebuilding Detroit's fashion and garment trades.
Highlights
- Graduated from Cass Technical High School
- Studied at Parsons School of Design
- Member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America since 2007
- Michelle Obama wore her dress at the 2012 Democratic National Convention
- Founded the Detroit-based sustainable label Hope for Flowers (2019)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1970s–1982
Cass Technical High School
Detroit's selective technical high school, from which she graduated.