Forget about cars - can fashion help Detroit make a comeback?

Detroit

IN 1915, as demand for the Model T was booming, Henry Ford came up with a plan.

He bought land to build a complex that would include all aspects of car production, starting with raw materials such as iron ore and coal, producing glass and steel, and culminating in parts and ultimately, cars. His vision led to Ford's giant Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, which employed 100,000 people at its peak, and is still in use today.

Jeffry Aronsson has a similar idea for Detroit - only for fashion. Mr Aronsson, a lawyer and turnaround specialist whose résumé includes executive positions at Oscar de la Renta and the luxury conglomerate LVMH, calls his idea Project Treadwing.

The name is a combination of tyre tread - to give Detroit traction in fashion - and a nod to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. It would create a fashion hub where every element of fashion design, manufacturing and marketing would take place in a single location, rather than being sprea…