Tracy Reese Introduces Sustainable Collection, Hope for Flowers

Tracy Reese says, “It’s all yellow, brown and black people that are in semislavery making fast fashion, and we really have to consider that.” Reese and other thoughtful fashion players are working to disrupt the way we think about and consume fashion. That cute, $30 blouse is appealing, no doubt, but examine the true cost.

The fashion industry produces 20% of global wastewater and 10% of the planet’s carbon emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Every second, one garbage truck’s worth of textiles is landfilled or burned.

Reese’s new responsibly designed collection, Hope for Flowers, is available at Détroit is the New Black and Anthropologie. “After 30-plus years in the industry, I knew it was time for me to do something that was sustainable and really change my whole supply chain, and figure out how I could create products that were less harmful to the planet,” she says.

The pieces crafted in Detroit made use of 100% organic textiles, Reese says. They were silk-screened in Detroit – with help from Cass Tech students – and stitched in Flint at St. Luke’s N.E.W. Life Center, “which has a small factory where they’re training women in industrial sewing.”

“We really have to think about buying less but buying better quality – better materials, more transparent sources,” Reese says. “I don’t believe in throw-away clothing. I believe we should be able to wear and keep and treasure our clothes for a lifetime.”