Designer Spotlight: Angelica Reeves of Haus of Sy Bet On Herself

Haus of Sy

By Kerane Marcellus ·Updated February 23, 2023

Haus of Sy is a one-woman show run by self-taught Detroit-based designer Angelica Reeves. The brand is in homage to her son’s name Cameron Sy, her true inspiration, she says. She started her brand in 2020 as the rise of the pandemic pushed her to stay home with her son, quitting her nursing job of three years. Before Haus of Sy, she worked in the fashion industry in a myriad of ways as both a personal shopper and freelance wardrobe assistant and even had a small brand on the side selling t-shirts and denim.

While in quarantine, Reeves found herself sketching many of the designs that she now sells today. “During that time, I would sketch so much that I wastarget="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">handbags,” Reeves told ESSENCE. “I had a burning desire to get back on track with my dream career and took the leap of faith. I used my very last to start Haus of Sy. I completely bet on myself because I knew I trusted myself enough to make this dream come true.” She also wanted a better life for her son and knew this was the best way to provide for him and show him that following your dreams can pay off. Reeves didn’t attend school for design but said, “I knew I could do this on my own.” She found herself reading and buying any and every fashion magazine and watching every Project Runway episode. She studied her favorite designer’s process and what it took to run a business on your own.

Reeves’ design process includes her son, as he likes to pick out fabrics and colors with her. She bases her products on what she would like to wear and on the women in her life. All her products are actually named after them — a running theme with her brand.

Reeves says, “she’s just a girl from Detroit that took a chance,” but she’s built her dream from the ground up. “I took $5,000 and turned it into seven figures.” She is also an advocate for giving back to her community and has done so by contributing to other Black women-owned businesses to help them launch or expand. “I want every, especially my fellow Black sisters.”

Visit hausofsy.com for more info and to shop the brand.