Photo Courtesy of Justin W. Milhouse/ Gucci
Italian luxury brand, Gucci, is set to open a store in downtown Detroit this summer.
A spokesperson for Gucci did not release the store’s exact location or size, Crain’s Detroit reported. The representative mentioned that more details about the boutique would be revealed later, such as its square footage and official opening date.
However, a site plan on Detroit’s website indicated that the store would open at the roughly 38,000 square feet large former L.B. King & Co. building at 1274 Library St. and East Grand River Avenue. It was purchased by Dan Gilbert, a wealthy investor and Detroit native, for $2.7 million in 2015.
Gucci also posted retail positions online for a lead client advisor and store director in Detroit on the job board, Indeed.com, with an April 22 start date. The listings have expired.
Though exciting news, this isn’t the first time the high fashion brand was involved with Detroit. In 2021, the label collaborated with the city’s Tommey Walker, Detroit vs. Everybody clothing line owner, to create a t-shirt collection as part of Gucci’s Changemakers initiative.
The collection featured Walkers’ “vs. Everybody” slogan on shirts that represented 11 cities around the U.S., including New York, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New Orleans, and Houston. It included shirts emblazoned with “Gucci vs. Everybody,” which were exclusively available at the Troy Somerset Collection Gucci store in the Motor City.
Gucci donated a portion of profits from the t-shirts, retailed at $390, to non-profit organizations in each city tied to the collection. Proceeds from Walker’s collaboration also went to the 2020 and 2021 Gucci Changemakers North America Impact Fund winners. Launched in 2019, the fund annually awards $5 million in grants to non-profit organizations that focus on inclusivity.
In a statement released by the heritage brand last year, Walker expressed how happy he was about the partnership.
“My partnership with Gucci is a dream come true, not just for me and my team, but also for celebrating the city of Detroit’s cultural richness and innovation,” he said. “I’ve long admired the creative genius that is Alessandro Michele and am honored and humbled that Gucci respects my work. DETROIT VS. EVERYBODY and Gucci share the same unifying ethos, to bring people together for a greater good and to transform a feeling into a cultural moment.”
He also explained what his slogan means in an interview with Gucci.
“It hit me-‘Detroit VS. Everybody;’ a rallying cry if not a movement for all Detroiters to unite against those who doubted us and those who would keep us down,” Walker said. “To earn back our respect, we must be positive, determined, innovative, and never give up.”
The downtown Detroit Gucci location will be the second flagship store in Michigan.