The first time I met Linda Dresner was in 2008 while pulling clothing for a StyleLine magazine fashion shoot at her eponymous store in downtown Birmingham. It was a space where clean lines and minimalist fixtures met vibrant, avant-garde designs that practically danced on their hangers. And there was Linda, a more muted statement, with a bandana effortlessly wrapped around her head and smiling eyes that beckoned Welcome.
John Arnold, a display artist who worked at Linda Dresner for 12 years, recalls that first meeting: “I remember Linda saying to me, ‘I want to support this young woman because I believe in women who are breaking into the business of fashion.”
That giving nature was felt throughout metro Detroit, from boards she served on to fashion designers she supported.
At the College for Creative Studies (CCS), Linda served on both the Board of Trustees and the Fashion Advisory Council. She and her husband, Ed, also created the Linda Dresner Endowed Chair for the school’s Fashion Design program to continuously fund that position.
“Being endowed by Linda means a lot to me,” says Aki Choklat, the Chair and founding Head of Fashion Design at CCS. “It’s recognition of the work we’ve done, a real honor to always be connected to her legacy, and meaningful support to keep growing the department and creating better opportunities for our students.”
Musician Gretchen Gonzales Davidson met and befriended Linda in 2010 while serving on the CCS Board with her. Two years later, they became neighbors.
“You are drawn to certain people,” she says. “Every time I saw her, she was warm and welcoming, and I felt an ease when I was around her. She had this gracefulness about her. It was her essence.”
Linda was a patron of all arts, from supporting the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit to the Detroit Opera House. She welcomed those art organizations to her eclectic Birmingham home, whether it was for fundraising or simply to bring people together. She treated her store the same way, giving artists a high-visibility canvas to exhibit their work.
Artist Leon Dickey displayed his exhibits at Linda Dresner for 12 years. “We became great friends and comrades in artful endeavors,” he says. “She considered me her artist in residence, and I considered her my champion.”
Beyond from her store on W. Maple and Bates, where every garment or accessory Linda chose reflected craftsmanship and innovation, she is also remembered for bringing designers, such as Comme Des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, and Dries Van Noten, to metro Detroit for the first time. (Her Birmingham store closed in 2021, and her New York City location closed in 2008.)
Longtime friend and fellow retailer Mark Keller said Linda inspired him to open his first store. She also rented him the loft in her store to showcase his ELM Designs, a “pop-up” that stayed there for 10 years.
“The thing I’ll miss most about her was when she would look at me and smile and kiss me on the cheek,” he says.
Linda’s loved ones describe her humor above all, along with her keen eye, kindness, humility, and generosity.
Fellow fashion icon Sandy Schreier, who modeled with Linda in the 1960s, called her friend “playful and so down-to-earth.”
“She always came to my book signings, and though the lines were often long, she waited patiently for her turn, never texting me to save her a copy,” she says. “Of course I miss the store, but even more, I miss Linda!”
Her son, Mark Lewis, says his mom loved to laugh. “She thought humor was a great antidote,” he says. “She never took herself too seriously. She didn’t have that kind of ego. And she had no fear. No fear at all.”
Linda Dresner passed away on March 30 from Alzheimer’s. She was 88 years old.