Carl Craig & Lowe Campbell Ewald Fight for Detroit

Bankruptcy isn’t something you’d usually associate with a prominent US city but Detroit’s recent past is very real. With a strong industrial heritage and defined roots in art, culture and music, when the place declared itself in financial disarray last year, what ensued was disbelief, fear and a reputation that’s been hard to shake.

Despite all that however, one thing that has always stood strong in the Motor City is its people, whose spirit and determination will play a key role on the road to recovery in the years to come.

Two Detroit natives who are chioning the city with an optimistic approach are legendary DJ and techno pioneer Carl Craig, and Lowe Cbell Ewald’s chief creative officer, Mark Simon, who hosted a seminar in Cannes this year based on the subject.

In the lead up to the session the Detroit-based agency, founded by Henry J Ewald and Frank Cbell, released a promo film plugging the cause and the vibe is very much the opposite of a down-and-out destination with no sense of direction.

Craig and Simon have both soaked up the surroundings and sense of Detroit to channel their creativity into their careers, and it’s a similar story for the start-ups and ideas bubbling up post-summer 2013, after bankruptcy took hold.

We’ve all seen the Chrysler spots (Born of Fire, Halftime in America, Is There Anything More American) fighting Detroit’s corner with the use of local celebrity endorsement but Lowe Ewald Cbell adds a refreshed and revitalised prong to the cause echoing the raw, real and unapologetic nature of the place and its people.

The pair took time out on a windy terrace between rehearsals for their Detroit Reboot City session to talk about their views, the current situation and how they hope to shake the negativity being aimed at their home town.

Green shoots of recovery are pushing through with creative, positive, daring and entrepreneurial thinkers leading a renaissance from the rubble and Craig and Simon explain what the city means to them, how you should forget what you heard by taking a look for yourself, as well as how Detroit is pressing 'restart' on its own future.