Dr. Romanelli and Detroit’s Revive have collaborated to launch the first of multiple projects paying tribute to the great American metropolis that is Detroit, Michigan. From its wealthy western suburbs to the bus stops that line Woodward, despite what the media might suggest Detroit is and always will be a city alive. While Dr. Romanelli has visited Michigan for a few casual appearances he has never spent solid time amidst the concrete jungle that exists south of 8 Mile. However, Romanelli no doubt heard much about the region from his father, as he is a Michigan State University alum and his wife who is a graduate of the rival University of Michigan located about 50 miles south. This new project between Dr. Romanelli and Revive showcasing Romanelli’s love for the Motor City spawned out of a chance meeting with Southfield, Michigan’s own R&B/pop sensation Mike Posner’s manager, who approached Romanelli about fitting his artist in some of the designers widely known and virally famous creations. The heavily sought after but yet very rare deconstructed team jackets consisting of a mix of jerseys, patchwork and leather; Romanelli eventually created custom pieces in the likes of teams representing Detroit and Duke; as the musician is Detroit raised but a graduate of Duke University. Detroit athletes and their highly regarded history was not a task but a joy for Dr. Romanelli to retell. Being a youth in the 1980s and 1990’s Dr. Romanelli grew up watching the likes of Bad Boy Piston Dennis Rodman, 1984 World Series Detroit Tiger catcher Lance Parrish and a 1996 Detroit Lion running back named Barry Sanders whom all competed against his favorite hometown Los Angeles teams. With names like these being so nostalgic to his youth, when Revive reached out he felt inspired to pay homage to the iconic players, stadiums and city that helped shaped his many memories as a child.
Always cautious to collaborate with new stores, Dr. Romanelli felt Michigan’s Revive was unique and had a strong customer base and a foothold on the market located in the Midwest. Romanelli was happy to collaborate with Revive and deliver such an honest representation of his love for such an important hard working and blue-collar city. From Henry Ford’s vision of an automobile assembly line in the early 1900s until now, Romanelli recognizes the unique chapter of Americana that Detroit and its citizens live and represent globally in the automobile and manufacturing sector. Tough, hard-nosed, hard working citizens are what drive the Motor City. DRx plans on releasing a 2nd collection of Detroit influenced American work-wear in Spring 2011, inspired by Detroit’s manufacturing economy through the likes of steel mills and assembly plants. Until that collection drops, be sure to visit Revive exclusively for the current Detroit collection and to grab hold of limited copies of the Dr. Romanelli X Revive post card commemorating the collection.
Photography by Rob Dowsley / Written by Kyle Kjerrungaard
REVIVE
154 W Maple Rd
Birmingham, MI 48009
(248) 731.7849