Ashley Cook and E-Man Bates
February 28, 2026
Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase, part of The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week 2026
On Saturday, February 21, 2026, the team at Michigan Fashion Week held the Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase as the finale to a series of events focused on earth-friendly practices of the Detroit-based designers and connoisseurs. Earlier that week, The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week debuted as an annual celebration of creativity, culture and conscious fashion with “a citywide thrift adventure featuring curated racks, hidden gems, and exclusive discounts for guests.” This Thrift Crawl Experience was followed by five additional happenings over the course of six days, including a lecture and panel discussion focused on sustainability in fashion, a clothing swap, an upcycling workshop and a vintage runway show.
Be The Light featured at the The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week’s Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase Model: A'janiece (a'ja) Collins
Loren Hicks founded Michigan Fashion Week in 2012 as a platform to showcase the talent of local professionals working in the fields of fashion design, photography, art and modeling. As a fashion designer herself, Hicks was able to identify the needs of her community, whose members had the skill for upward mobility but lacked the infrastructure necessary to support their professional growth. Her future-focused initiative addressed those needs, quickly becoming an instant success and drawing large crowds of people to Detroit to learn about local street wear and high-end fashion. “Through our work with Michigan Fashion Week, we have been able to foster a growing awareness of fashion not only as a hobby or passion, but as a gainful occupation.” Over the years, Loren Hicks and her team have created opportunities for expansive recognition, networking and patronage. In 2025, Michigan Fashion Week featured events in both Detroit and Grand Rapids, and this year, introduced The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week into the mix.
DW Styles featured at the The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week’s Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase. Model: High Class Lady
Sustainability in fashion is not a new topic, but it will always be relevant. Concerns surrounding the impact of “fast-fastion” emerged in the 1970s and 1980s alongside concepts of the Great Acceleration(cite) and the Anthropocene, both of which are scientific terms used to define the current geological epoch, where humanity has become the primary force shaping the planet. Synthetic materials can now be found in layers of sedimentary rock or soil around the world, signifying our impact on deep time, which over centuries has contributed directly to climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation. Criticism of harmful human practices is just the tip of the iceberg. Truly living in an eco-friendly way is a multi-faceted rhizome of commitment and careful decision making. Brands that practice sustainability emphasize ethical production, renewable materials and durability. They embrace “slow fashion”. They “reduce, reuse, recycle, repair.” They spread awareness through transparency, and they support others through information sharing. The 2026 premiere of The Green Label marks a crucial point in Detroit’s engagement with these global conversations. Designers participating in Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week showcased collections made with a minimum of 70% responsibly sourced materials, demonstrating the city’s sustained capacity for innovation. The list of featured artists and brands include Nerd (House of Both Rows), Sewn by Sidney, Caledonia’s Box, Felisa McCoy, Robert Doss (Nearly Destroyed), Janessa Grace, Giovanni Gulley (The Art Exhibit), Be The Light, Jennifer Burns (Revel Lifestylis), DW Styles, London Jackson (Hooked on Lo), Robina Rranxa (Bean) and Brie Keersmaekers (Brushwork). Diving into the work and mission statements of these artists reveals consistent messages of intent that focus on materiality and well-being as interdependent entities.
Be The Light featured at the The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week’s Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase. Model: Christian Copley
The Green Label was able to highlight these ethics through the lens of Detroit-style streetwear, which Hicks mentions as one of the city’s strong suits. “We are experts in streetwear, and from this week, I see we are also an expert in sustainability. Detroit streetwear artists do an excellent job of mixing art and streetwear. You see a lot of wearable canvases decorated in paintings, airbrushing, upholstery fabric, patches, and that was definitely represented on The Green Label runway.” The quality of work on display, from garments to set design, photographers, lighting, highlights Detroit’s growing role as a competitor on the global stage. The introduction of frameworks like showcases, panel discussions and networking events are the solution to keeping creative people here, and setting them up for success as Detroit-based professionals. Loren Hicks understands this, expressing an excitement for the direction of the local fashion scene. “It’s really on a great trajectory, and I think that if everyone just continues to do what they’re doing, whether in the fashion industry or in a related business we can continue to build this platform here, reminding people that they don’t need to go to New York, LA or Chicago in order to build a career. You can do it right here in Detroit.”
Caledonia’s Box featured at the The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week’s Sustainable Fashion Experience Showcase. Model: Sheila Rodriguez
The Green Label: Detroit’s Sustainable Fashion Week took place from February 16–21, 2026 and was sponsored by The Salvation Army, Value World, The Velvet Tower, Enchanted Essence, Salt Spa, LOKI, Golden Glow, Kiloh+Co. and The Design Bar.
Learn more about Michigan Fashion Week and The Green Label here: https://www.michiganfashionweek.com/
Images by E-Man Bates