In 1997, Amy Smilovic and her husband Frank moved to Hong Kong when both of their jobs at American Express transferred them there. Amy found herself in an interesting position if she stayed with the company- her husband would become her boss! This was when Tibi was born.
Just one month after the move, Smilovic began designing a line of dresses that combined American sportswear with a splash of international influence. She brought certain pieces to the attention of some friends in the industry while she was there, who then brought them back to Nantucket and the Hamptons during the summer. Tibi’s international success began then and there.
Smilovic comments on the Tibi woman: “There are three major influences to the line; Hong Kong, Paris and Palm Beach. We like to think that our girl never looks uptight and that is where the Hong Kong influence comes from. Hong Kong is about the ease of wearing things, throwing on things that aren’t too encumbered. The French side is effortlessly chic, the mandate for runway is that the girls always looks fabulous but she didn’t spend more than 15 minutes on herself. Our girls definitely didn’t spend hours in front of the mirror. Palm Beach is always on the clean side, the girl may wear something that is laid back but she is not a hippy. It’s clean and minimal.”
In 2005, The Cloister on Sea Island in Georgia chose Tibi to develop a collection that would represent the lifestyle at their world-renowned luxury resort- she then designed tunics, bikinis and one of their suites. In 2006, Smilovic opened the first Tibi flagship store at 120 Wooster Street in SoHo. See Tibi's full line here.
One of their amazing sample sales starts today at 409 West 39th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues). See the times below!
Wednesday, 13 May: 1 PM to 7 PM
Thursday, 14 May: 10 AM to 7 PM
Friday, 15 May: 10 AM to 6 PM
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