Detroit culture news: Michigan Fashion Week, ‘The Dirty D’ and a new Waka spot

Welcome back to all things culture and community.

Detroit hotties already kicked off summer with a Megan Thee Stallion show , but there’s plenty of time to get your summer fashion inspo and dose of haute couture at Michigan Fashion Week (not a misnomer) in a few weeks.

Headed to the grand reopening of the former Michigan Central Station? We’ve got the details. If you’re looking for something a little less polished, we have a street art recommended spot. And “ The Dirty D ” is making the jump from Tubi for a scandalous third season.

One quick recommendation

One man’s trash …: Tucked away on a side street behind an increasingly busy spot along Trumbull Street is Lincoln Street Art Park . A humble outdoor art exhibit, the park is equal parts greenery and street art on cement blocks, sculptures and a hotchpotch of found objects.

Past the graffiti is a wall painted over with murals. That’s Dreamtroit , the recently opened live-work-play complex developed by filmmaker Oren Goldenberg and Matt Naimi (but not without some serious collateral damage ). The space is built in the art park’s footprint and said to reuse some material from the now-demolished Lincoln Factory . Michigan & Trumbull Pizza moved its shop there, in case you’re wondering where it went. Elsewhere in the complex, the Marble Bar-affiliated Lincoln Factory dance club will soon be busy on Movement Music Festival weekend .

A bonus: The Recycle Here! drop-off founded by Naimi is right next door, so you can recycle your trash while wondering in someone else’s treasure.

The Freaks Come Out at Light, an annual, debauchery-filled happening at Lincoln Street Art Park, is scheduled for the crack of dawn on Sunday . Soul music DJ Adam Stanfel will provide a “sunrise gospel” soundtrack.

Community highlights

Runway ready: Fashion designers, hair stylists, makeup artists and models of Michigan will be making their way to the 12th annual Michigan Fashion Week . The fun starts June 6 at Somerset Mall in Troy with an event focused on — you guessed it — shopping. The main affair starts the next day at the Godfrey Hotel with four runway shows across two days showcasing streetwear and high fashion from more than 25 designers and 60 models from the Midwest.

“Fashion comes in all different genres,” said Loren Hicks , founder and CEO of Michigan Fashion Week. “Detroit is known for their streetwear, their T-shirts or hoodies, the gym shoes, the jeans. I really wanted to have a section to highlight the talented designers who are into the streetwear, that do design hoodies. … I didn’t want them to be lost in the shuffle of only doing high fashion.”

Once the last model leaves the runway, attendees get to cap off the week at an after-party benefitting Fashion for Progression , a metro area nonprofit working to provide funding and education to aspiring fashion creatives.

“I want our audience to really understand the talented individuals who live here,” said Hicks, a native Detroiter. “I want the arts and culture of Detroit to really be shown. My goal is to highlight our talent (that) we have here, from the models, designers, photography — just all the aspects of the fashion industry.”

Party at the train station: The historic Michigan Central Station will reopen to the public on June 6, and organizers are going all out for the occasion. The public can tour the newly renovated building during a jam-packed, 10-day grand opening celebration . Tickets for the kick-off concert in Roosevelt Park were snatched up within hours of being made available on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan Central Station, after 75 years as the city’s main rail passenger depot , closed in 1988 and was nearly demolished in 2009. Ford Motor Co., which owns the building, has spent millions renovating , but details are vague on future tenants. Restaurants and retail are planned for the first floor, and a hotel could occupy the top of the 18-floor tower, but it would still need a rezoning request approved by City Council. (Detroit Free Press, Michigan Central, Outlier Media, Metro Times, WDIV)

All types of “messy”: Season 3 of “The Dirty D” is set to premiere exclusively on Peacock on June 13. The adult drama set in the city’s real-life Unorthodox Club stars actors Makeiva Albritten and Mena Monroe and promises more flashy twists, shocking double-crosses and just overall messiness. The steamy soap opera from executive producer Lisa Brown premiered on the streaming service Tubi in 2022 and soon became quite the hit as one of several Detroit-based, independently produced shows (paywalled) with largely Black casts. (Blac Media, The Dirty D, Detroit News)

More to explore in Detroit’s culture

😆 Comedian Martin Lawrence announced his Y’all Know What It Is! Tour, his first comedy tour in eight years , with an Aug. 30 stop at Little Caesars Arena. Lawrence is known for his starring role in the popular sitcom “Martin” set in Detroit. Tickets start at about $40 . (BridgeDetroit, Martin Lawrence)

🏋️ Hot Bones Detroit opened in the Milwaukee Junction last week. The hot yoga and Pilates studio featuring a bone broth bar aims to bring movement and nutrition under one roof. (Hot Bones)

😋 Baobab Fare’s sister food truck Waka will move to a permanent location in Eastern Market later this summer. Waka will bring its signature array of traditional flatbreads, wraps and other East African deliciousness to 2465 Russell St., the former home of the beloved Russell Street Deli until 2019. (Eater Detroit)

Detroit culture news: Michigan Fashion Week, ‘The Dirty D’ and a new Waka spot · Outlier Media