Hive & Colony reopens Boston flagship with MassArt upcycling competition

Hive & Colony marked the reopening of its Boston showroom at Copley Place with The Cut, an upcycling competition created with MassArt. The event tied the brand’s retail expansion to local talent development, while unveiling a renovated space with an accessible restroom and dedicated tailoring station. Why it matters: - Hive & Colony is using its Boston flagship reopening to do more than sell custom clothing. - The company is pairing retail growth with local talent development and a deeper push into Boston’s creative community. - The renovated showroom adds a dedicated tailoring station and an accessible restroom, both designed to support a more personalized bespoke experience. What happened: - Hive & Colony reopened its Boston showroom at Copley Place and hosted The Cut, an upcycling competition with Massachusetts College of Art and Design. - The event took place last Tuesday and was the first major activation at the showroom since reopening last month. - The competition marked the next chapter for Hive & Colony’s original showroom location and its long relationship with Boston. - Five emerging MassArt designers competed by turning suiting materials into reimagined garments. - The design brief focused on tempo and movement, with creative influence from the film La La Land. The details: - Student work included quilted textile storytelling, reversible garments and deconstructed takes on traditional tailoring. - A panel of Boston-based judges reviewed the final creations. - The judges included Michael Alexander Gonzalez, an operatic tenor; A.J. Hernandez, an LGBTQ+ lifestyle expert and media personality; and Michael Nicolas, founder and designer of KAZOKU. - Jeffrey Ampratwum, Hive & Colony brand ambassador in New York, also served on the panel. - Ampratwum brought experience as a fashion director and celebrity stylist. - Winning participants received the opportunity to create a custom garment at Hive & Colony’s Boston location. - All participating students gained exposure to client-facing bespoke fashion and commercial design execution. - Brittanie Gigler, head of product development and design at Hive & Colony and a MassArt alumna, said the company wanted to give students a real-world chance to transform existing garments into highly stylized personal work. - Gigler said the student work exceeded expectations and reinterpreted tailoring traditions in new ways. - Marianella Mace, Hive & Colony chief marketing officer, said Boston’s creative and academic ecosystem made the city a natural fit for the partnership. - Mace said the company wants Hive & Colony to be a place where local talent is celebrated and personal style becomes an expression of individuality. Between the lines: - The reopening signals a strategy that links physical retail with community programming, not just product sales. - Hive & Colony is leaning into Boston’s design, research and technology culture to reinforce its brand identity. - The company’s use of full-body scan technology shows it is blending traditional tailoring with more precise measurement tools. - The MassArt partnership also positions Hive & Colony as a platform for emerging designers at a time when visibility and professional entry points matter. What’s next: - Hive & Colony will continue using its Boston showroom as a hub for custom tailoring and community-facing events. - The renovated space is set up to support the brand’s high-touch client experience and future programming. - The company is expected to keep building ties with Boston’s creative community through craftsmanship-focused activations. The bottom line: - Hive & Colony turned a flagship reopening into a branding move, a community event and a talent pipeline all at once. - The Boston showroom now doubles as both a retail space and a showcase for emerging fashion design.