Inspiration abounded for Detroit-based designer Tracy Reese as she conceived the Hope for Flowers fall 2025 collection. A brown corduroy blazer with a matching A-line pleated skirt? “Like you’re going to Spelman in 1952,” Reese said while presenting the range in New York. A ruffled floral blouse? “We used to do bedding, and this is the kind of print that I would totally put on a sheet set,” she added. “I’ve always loved woodblock florals, and I’m always researching them. We sort of redraw them and make them our own,” she said of the print. A color combination she noticed in an Instagram photo of Kenyan artist Velma Rosai-Makhandia’s studio piqued her interest, too. “There was a pink metalwork sculpture and brown hardwood floors. Although this is not inspired by her work,” Reese said, pointing out a striped cotton dress with a tiered skirt, “it’s inspired by the colors in that image. Pink and orange and brown together look really yummy to me right now.”
The collection was replete with the label’s core pieces—smocked shirting, shift silhouettes, and midi skirts—but there were also new flourishes, like fringe running along the seams of wide-leg trousers, and trendy bubble hems volumizing embroidered dresses. Reese’s commitment to designing with sustainable textiles means she has to be especially creative in some instances to achieve the look she’s after. To the naked eye, a sleeveless leopard dress looked like denim, but “it’s actually got a frame of stretch cotton poplin,” Reese explained. You have to touch it to believe her.
