Tracy Reese’s Hope for Flowers brand has been in production for five years, and when she presented the Spring 2026 collection in New York at the Designers & Agents trade show, several buyers approached her to tell her, “This is your best collection yet,” Reese said over Zoom from her office in Detroit. Reese called the range “a quintessential Hope collection for flowers”; It’s very feminine (and) very colorful.” But whereas previous iterations relied heavily on signature pieces and expected prints — smocked shirting, block print florals — this one offered a wider range of fabrics, and a color story that ranged from subdued to dramatic.
Reese bought EcoVero georgette for frilled maxi dresses, shell tops and midi dresses with draped necklines. “Softness eluded me until we found this fabric because there aren’t a lot of durable transparent fabrics,” she said. The pieces, along with a strapless A-line and ruched mini dress, were in a diffuse watercolor print – a beautiful mix of pink, peach, blue and brown-orange hues that Rize compared to marmalade. Some of the designer’s favorite silhouettes got updates: harem pants were structured and tailored; The shirting fell off the shoulders; And a new version of the Hope for Flowers pom-pom pants came in linen with espresso-colored cross-stitch embroidery. “I think it’s time for brown,” she said, noting the espresso floral bustier dress and halter jumpsuit. “Sometimes people get intimidated by brown prints, but now is the time for it. It looks really chic.”
While candy-colored concentric squares on a pair of shorts and the vibrant stripes of a spring trench will pop on the runway, producing a show is no difficult task that Reese misses; She’s happy to be building Hope for Flowers outside the traditional brand playbook. “I loved it, I really did,” she says of her days running her namesake label and being featured on the official New York Fashion Week calendar. “But I don’t mind sacrificing my life for the runway. And I also think it’s wonderful to pass the baton to the next generation. I’m happy to have the platform and to be in Detroit where the pace is different, where our impact is more felt.”
