SPOTLIGHT by eugenie

A Season of Gratitude and a Celebration of Sustainability

In the festive spirit of the holiday season, the eugenie team has chosen to spotlight some of our most celebrated and sought-after brands of the year, featuring names such as Rachel Comey, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Ound, Are Studio, and more. Collaborating with our vibrant community of Detroit creatives, we transformed the studio at Eightfold Collective into a welcoming reflection of the eugenie essence: chic, conscientious, and comfortable. The palette of rich, earthy browns complemented by soft, modern pinks provides the perfect backdrop for the familiar elevated aesthetics that define our brand. The golden hues and bright spirits captured here encapsulate the energy that eugenie is carrying into the new year. As we look ahead, may the coming year be abundant in mindful moments, creative sparks, and timeless garments that endure for many generations to come.

Directors: Kevin Steen, Gretchen Valade
Photographer: Peter Larson
Photo Assistant: Jesse Marianut
Makeup: Ashlyn Sinishtaj
Wardrobe Stylist: Micah Egnater
Brand and Creative: Jaclyn Lieder
Models: Rachelle Economy, Aaliya Davidson

People Process Planet: Textiles from Women's Hands to Our Homes

Photography courtesy of Studio Variously

Textiles are the gentle web of support holding our homes, bodies, and communities together. They have the ability to change our perceptions, sensory experiences, and the stories we carry in and beyond our own lives. After decades of experience working with the transformative power of textiles, Anjali Purohit decided to build a brand that binds culture and craftsmanship together through handmade home goods and accessories; Meet: Studio Variously.

Purohit is a designer, activist, mother, and first-generation immigrant based out of Eugenie’s home state, Michigan. She grew up immersed in the rich architectural influence of Ahmedabad, India where her affinity for material experience and history was expertly formed and deeply nourished. Her dedication to promoting craftsmanship with integrity took her across the world to multiple countries, where she honed her skills, passion, and commitment to sustainability. She has been a leading voice for ethical production, natural material usage, and the empowerment of women throughout the textile supply chain.

Today, Purohit lives in Metro-Detroit with her husband and two sons, where she explores what it means to build a life, home, and business that remain rooted in the stories and practices of her heritage. Each collection from Studio Variously embodies a delicate sense of the history, labor, and intentionality that Purohit infuses in every step of the design process. Bringing home one of her pieces is an invitation to slow down and appreciate our own deep interconnection with the many people and plants influencing our lives from across the world.

Join us in this Spotlight where we interview Purohit herself and dive into the inspirations, hard work, and sustainable visions behind Studio Variously!

How Yoga Creates Community

Photography by Christian Najjar

Our first Community Spotlight is Amina Daniels from Live Cycle Delight!

When you meet Amina, you realize right from the start that she is a force. Mind, body, and community is what she stands for. Celebrating their 5 year anniversary of their second location, Live Cycle Delight (LCD) & Live Cycle Delight Hot (LCD Hot), are both located just a short walking distance away from each other in West Village, Detroit.

When you go to any LCD or LCD Hot class, it is very likely you will see Amina there, in fact, she will probably be taking the class alongside you. She works day in and out to bring her community the best instructors, classes, and atmosphere. During the pandemic, Amina worked tirelessly to make sure her community was able to practice their regular classes in a safe way. She provided online and outdoor classes, and even took her cycling outdoors, leading her classes on bike rides throughout the city of Detroit.

At Eugenie, we believe it’s just as important to take care of your mind and body as it is to make conscious efforts in understanding how your actions and purchases impact the environment and community, local or otherwise. We appreciate Amina’s inclusive approach to wellness as well as her amazing style and are happy to share with you more about what she does in the conversation that is to follow!

I am so happy to have our first Designer Spotlight be of Tracy Reese, designer and founder of the brand Hope For Flowers! Such a dear friend to Eugenie, let alone such a bright light in the Sustainable Fashion world. We are honored to have her garments in our assortment, and – if I can speak for Detroit – we are so lucky she has decided to move home, bringing her beauty and sparkle to our local fashion scene and community.

You can feel her passion and her genuine nature when she speaks. If you can’t tell by her words, you can see through her actions that Tracy is as true as it gets. For lack of a better phrase, she is someone who practices what she preaches. On top of all of that, she understands the realities of the fashion industry and the impact on our planet and communities, yet she is optimistic about the future.

Through this interview you will learn that for Tracy there is a common focus: People. The environment and human rights issues are incredibly important to her, as are the workers making her clothing in the supply chain, the people designing her clothing alongside her at their headquarters, the customer who is purchasing and wearing her clothing, and the community that she is surrounded by.

Tracy’s background is very versatile when it comes to understanding design, production, and consumer insights. Her designs came from a pure, intrinsic, and creative place. She values art, design, and being inspired by museums and history. She also has a passion for the process of creating a garment, as well as the background and knowledge of the techniques and methods of sewing, so she can speak the same language as her supply chain partners. On top of all of that, she has been able to refine and be intentional in her designs, understanding just who it is she is creating these design for. Answer is: you!

I can’t even begin to describe how inspiring it is for someone to close their successful fashion line all in the name of people and the planet and to start fresh. It’s a very brave thing to do.

Tracy was generous enough to let us into her studio and ask her some questions! Hannah Mulligan from Eugenie and photographer Christian Najjar spent an afternoon with her and captured it below. I hope you will enjoy reading this interview, and our first Designer Spotlight!

Eugenie is checking in. Now shop Eugenie’s downtown pop up The Siren Hotel.

Starring: @anahing_

Director: Kevin Steen
Production: @rathausfilms
EP: Alexandra Byer
Cinematographer @taylormcintosh
Eugenie Brand: @gretchenvalade
Stylist and Co-Producer: @hannahmulligan
Co-Producer: Margot Guicheteau
HMU: @Ghost_Artistry
PA: @prenstigram
Props: @detroitpropper
Receptionist: @thaddeustimothy
Editor: @Shanepford @hiatus.post
Colorist: @mikeypackge @blacksmithvfx
Color Assist: @actuallygoodwin
Location: @sirenhotel

Music:
The Rebels Of Tijuana "Asile"
Hannah Williams & The Affirmations "Tame in the Water"

The following images were photographed by Christina Stoever in the Summer of 2021.

Model: Rebecca Hernandez

Eugenie is our dream...

More than just a retail store, Eugenie was built to be a space where creatives could collaborate, have conversations, be supported, learn and/or teach, try new things or test out new ideas. A place that is open minded yet with self imposed guidelines - in the best way possible - that allow you to reach, research, and be innovative all while being responsible and sustainable.

It's a space for designers, artists, style, business, continuous education, inspiration, and most of all, we hope everyone who steps in feels welcomed, comfortable, and enjoys what and who you are surrounded by.

This is our dream, and it's only just begun.

We worked with an amazing group of people to bring this magical video to life. Please enjoy <3

Thank you to everyone involved:

Featuring: Amanda Sinishtaj

Directed by: Kevin Steen
Cinematography: Andrew Amine
Producer and Styling: Hannah Mulligan
EP's: Alexandra Byer and Gretchen Valade
Copywriter: Jeanne Janutol
The Voice: Hannah Mulligan
AC: Jonathan Patterson
Makeup and Hair: Jessica Pudelek
Edit: Kevin Steen
Color: Mikey Pehanich
Props: Detroit Prop Studio

Music: Babe Rainbow and Sporto Kantes

In the fall of 2020, we invited our neighbor, Simone DeSousa Gallery, to collaborate on SPOTLIGHT by eugenie.

While eugenie was transitioning into a women’s boutique, SPOTLIGHT by Eugenie was an effort to activate our space and amplify artistic voices. The series was built to honor how the space existed for the past 10 years as a gallery and was intentional to lean into the history of the Cass Corridor neighborhood, celebrating and connecting Detroit’s artists, art, and design.

For three months, a new artist was featured in the boutique's window each month, starting with Carole Harris followed by Jova Lynne and Tyanna Buie.

While adapting to current health and safety guidelines, viewers were able enjoy the art display from the patio in front of eugenie at 444. W. Willis St. Detroit, MI