By Randiah Camille Green
June 3, 2026
This sponsored story was originally published by Outlier Media

This story was written by Randiah Camille Green and created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It is part of a year-long series focusing on programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit.

Pattern pieces lie sprawled across tables that hold rows of sewing machines. A group of women gathers around and listens intently to their instructor, some wearing hijabs and others dressed in hoodies and jeans. The multicultural group sporadically breaks out in laughter, sharing smiles and giggles, before going back to their patterns.

It’s a gloomy Tuesday afternoon in Hamtramck, but D’Artillery is brimming with life. D’Artillery provides sewing and small batch manufacturing training to primarily immigrant and refugee women. Those in the shop today are participating in a 12-week “earn and learn” sewing course where they are trained in the production, alteration, and upcycling of clothing. Their teacher is master tailor Denise Reed, who has more than 40 years of experience.

A Haitian American woman wearing a patchwork skirt comes out from the back of the shop. Her name is Gracieuse Xavier, the founder of D’Artillery, but everyone calls her Gracie. She feels like both a mother and a friend to the ladies working at their cutting tables.

“I work in the intersection of creativity, community, and commerce, and that is D’Artillery,” she says. “We’re supporting a community of women to leverage their creative talent to build economic opportunity and prosperity for themselves and their family, and we do that through textile art, sewing, and small batch manufacturing.”

The earn and learn course is offered on a sliding scale, with support from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and is geared toward women who want to have their own business. In addition to that, D’Artillery offers beginning and advanced sewing classes for women who are interested in sewing as a hobby, and English as a second language classes to serve the multicultural neighborhood. They also have a store where some of their program graduates sell bespoke handmade items, like aprons, pillowcases, and bags. One participant in the earn and learn course went on to run her own business making prom dresses.

“We work with predominantly immigrant communities, and a lot of these people need skills that they can do from home,” Xavier says. She was the director of corporate engagement and strategy at Global Detroit, and a Detroit Revitalization fellow, working in the Brightmoor neighborhood, before starting D’Artillery. “Some of the programs that already existed didn’t necessarily fit the schedule of the communities we work with.”

D’Artillery is a woman-centered space. This is intentional, to make immigrant women feel more comfortable, along with providing a culturally appropriate space to meet the needs of the largely Muslim community.

“The women can take breaks when they need to do their prayers and we have prayer mats here for them,” Xavier says. “We are here from 9 to 2, and we’ll stay later if production is necessary, but that’s in consideration that [some of] the women have children and they have to leave to go pick up their children. We have some women, especially our Yemeni ladies, who might wear the niqab, and they are able to take it off when they want to because they know this is a safe space for them.”

Huda Saeed first came to D’Artillery to take English classes three years ago, then found herself even more excited by the shop’s sewing machines.

The 48-year old Yemeni woman was a stay-at-home mom who had done alterations for her family members, but she hadn’t had the chance to learn more formal sewing skills. D’Artillery’s woman-only programming provided a comfortable setting for her to learn.

“I like the creative process of putting things together,” she said. Saeed completed the 12-week program and works part time in D’Artillery’s bespoke goods shop where she makes $15 an hour, primarily making aprons, bags, and pillow covers. “I like the encouraging environment that Gracie provides, and they have great teachers. They are so kind and supportive.”

She adds, “I encourage women in this community, especially those busy with their home life, to find a way to come here because it’s a supportive environment for a creative outlet.”

For women who may already have foundational sewing skills and want to take their entrepreneurship to the next level, D’Artillery hosts a 12-week business training course, in partnership with ProsperUs Detroit, called Woventures. Twice a year, participants are coached through building samples of their garments, setting their prices, and touring production factories, as they work on their designs.

This year, D’Artillery is piloting an apprenticeship with internationally acclaimed native Detroit designer Tracy Reese of Hope For Flowers, where the women will learn to work on high-end garments.

While D’Artillery’s focus is on immigrant women, their program is open to women of all backgrounds.

“Being an immigrant woman myself, creativity is not always encouraged,” Xavier says. “We’re encouraged to become doctors, lawyers, or engineers. We’re homemakers or caretakers. We need to know that there’s an opportunity that we can do both.”

Corina Fadel is taking the 12-week earn and learn class. She previously worked with Detroit Denim, which produced custom denim wear, and learned industrial sewing at the Industrial Sewing & Innovation Center (ISAIC). She jumped at the chance to learn from a master tailor at D’Artillery and expand her skillset. She hopes to start her own business mending clothing, upcycling denim, and collage quilting, layering and fusing fabric pieces to form art. 

“This is a place where you can grow your skills and practice while your confidence grows,” she says of D’Artillery, pausing for instructions on what to do next with her pattern pieces. “It’s a space that’s nurturing and encouraging of your desire and dreams.”

The next beginning and intermediate sewing courses at D’Artillery start in June, with classes held for five weeks. D’Artillery’s next 12-week earn and learn cohort begins in September, with applications opening in mid-July. For more information, visit dartillery.org/.

To learn more about programs and pathways to good paying jobs and careers in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck, visit: https://outliermedia.org/tag/pathways-to-good-paying-jobs/