Tibi Fall 2021
“I’m selling spring online, resort in the showroom and doing a fall review,” said Tibi designer Amy Smilovic of the dizzying effect created by a fashion calendar in flux.
Nevertheless, like many, the pandemic has taught her to do what’s right for her business, which was holding the collection until now, and sharing her platform with students at the Savannah College of Art and Design, who styled, shot and modeled in the look book and collection video.
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“It’s real right now, how many people want to support young creatives and business owners who have a point of view,” she said, noting that the school’s president and cofounder, Paula Wallace, a Tibi customer, gave her team the full run of the campus for a week.
“There is a big drop-off, especially now, of schools unleashing these amazing creative talents who get stuck in companies churning out Tech Packs that go overseas,” Smilovic said of celebrating SCAD’s reputation as an “artists’ paradise” by shooting in the library, and among top-of-the-line laser cutting and knitting machines. “And the students had different ways of seeing things, which was great. We tapped into their animation, production and styling departments.”
For her fall collection, Smilovic conjured ’90s nostalgia through a modern lens with soft, adaptable tailoring. Drapey, oversized blazers and crispy trenchcoats came with deconstructed lapels and button tab details; pants were slouchy, and men’s wear plaid wrap dresses and luminous silk slips were long and lean.
A good-looking black patent leather midi skirt; deconstructed knitwear with jagged hems, interesting collar and cuff slits, and a standout tweed blazer with a shoulder scatter of studs and pearls added even more edge, without going so far as to “make you look like you lost your mind,” said Smilovic, always keeping it real.
“It’s about clothing that allows you to express yourself individually through the lens of functionality,” the designer said. “I’m thinking about how you could create something different with the same jacket than I would. There’s a real yearning for that now with people buying vintage. Of course, we are not all out scouring vintage shops, but you still want to be able to express yourself and not look like someone’s campaign.”
Launch Gallery: Tibi RTW Fall 2021
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