Amy Smilovic and her husband Frank moved from New York City to Hong Kong in 1997, finding themselves inspired by breaking free from American fashion norms and the fearless approach the city brought to the fashion world.
From this, Tibi was born. The now 23-year-old brand has made its mark by bringing effortless, refined wardrobe staples that still focus on the wearer’s personality. Amy and her team spoke to SCAD students during one of her famed Style Sessions brought live to Savannah, where they discussed the business’ changes during COVID, the future of the brand, and the Fall 2021 collection, set in some of our very own classrooms.
Smilovic grew up not too far away from our Savannah Campus on St. Simons Island. About 80 miles down the Georgia Coast, you’ll find a quaint beach town known for unique shops and idyllic beaches. The Founder and Creative Director says she chose SCAD as the location for their Fall 2021 campaign to tap into her Georgian roots. To celebrate the creativity and success SCAD brings, telling The Manor, “I’ve seen each year the candidates from SCAD getting better and better, and now it’s one of the top schools. So that’s very exciting for me.”
The campaign takes place in many familiar locations. The team traveled from the Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center to the Gulfstream Center for Design to Wallin Hall. Smilovic even invited some SCAD students to assist on set, in skill sets ranging from photography to styling.
Tibi’s Fall 2021 Collection features pieces focusing on Tibi’s core: being “effortless, classic, and modern.” Smilovic told WWD, “It’s about clothing that allows you to express yourself individually through the lens of functionality,” with the influence of 90s silhouettes and pieces created to last a lifetime.
Smilovic shared that their team has shrunk due to COVID, like many other businesses. That hasn’t hindered their creative process. On stage with Smilovic was the Head of Style, President of Design, Art Director, and Senior Vice President of Design. Their biggest piece of advice was to work together and be flexible, which brought them success during the pandemic.
Tibi has found online success with Smilovic’s style sessions on Instagram, first going live during lockdown to show how she would personally style garments and giving fashion advice to her audience. This is Tibi’s only media strategy, to connect directly to their audience in a personal way, and what Head of Style Dione Davis called a “free focus group.”
The team’s advice for students wanting to get into the creative world of fashion, design, marketing, whatever it may be, was to “capitalize on the creative flow when starting” and always to stay open-minded. Amy admitted that her ideas were not always ruling and that great ideas come from listening to those around you. Traci, SVP of Design, says to “do more than what’s asked of you” and to show what you’re truly capable of, even if it’s outside of the realm of what you’re used to.
The team emphasized the idea of having a strong point of view, communicating, and knowing who you are creatively. “This is a seismic moment in time” in the world of fashion, they say, and it’s time for students to take advantage of that.
Tibi’s Fall 2021 collection is now available on their website.
Words by Olivia Hawkins.
Photo by Patrick Cox.
Graphic by Emily Tobias.
A special thanks to Tibi for this opportunity.