TIBI

By Emily Hsieh
July 23, 2010

Thirteen years after founding her clothing label, Tibi, which was hatched in a small studio outside Jakarta, Indonesia, surrounded by rice paddies, both Amy Smilovic and her brand have come a long way. Now based out of a sprawling loft in downtown Manhattan, Tibi is one of the largest contemporary brands out there, selling in more than 500 stores around the world. Recently, we caught up with the designer to hear more about Tibi’s trajectory and what informs her girly-but-cool aesthetic.

The Inside Source: Tell me about the fall line, what was your inspiration?

Amy Smilovic: We kind of got wrapped around the idea of masculine and feminine looks. We like to center a collection around a theme, and for fall we based it on Napolean and Josephine. Things that were just light and fun and ethereal, mixed in with things with a military theme and a harder edge. It’s all about the contrast.

TIS: What’s one of your favorite looks?

AS: One of my favorites is the Genevieve chiffon dress, which we layered with a grey long sleeve t-shirt in our runway show. Olivia [Palermo] wore it on The City last week in 90 degree heat in Tokyo, though it’ll look amazing in October with tights and a fur coat. That’s one of the things the economy has forced us to do—think about how people can get more mileage out of their clothes.

TIS: What are some of the key pieces you think every woman should have this fall?

AS: I love all the fur. We did grey faux fur chubbies on the runway. It’s fake but so luxurious, and fun without looking like you’re trying too hard. It doesn’t look too aggressive. I’m so tired of the overly aggressive style that’s out there. When you’re sitting in the Palm Beach airport and you see all these blond women wearing studs and chains, that’s when you know the trend has slammed against the wall and needs to stop! But you can’t just move to pastel chiffon from there, you need to bridge the gap. The fur is a good way to go to wean yourself off the tough trends. I love the chubbies with grey wool shorts and tights. It should be worn in a casual way—don’t pair one with really tight jeans and thigh high boots.

TIS: I’ve also read that Hong Kong, Paris, and Palm Beach were big influences for you. Are they still?

AS: London factors very heavily in the mix now in my inspiration. The women in London dress with a certain desire to shock but in a really fun way. I love their approach to dressing—they dress for themselves rather than their boyfriends or husbands. They have a really love of getting dressed, and the same is true of Japanese women. I think that frees you up to design whatever you want. I hate dressing up by committee. Growing up in the South, I constantly saw women asking their friends for approval. I hate that. I design for the girl who doesn’t want her friends’ approval.

TIS: I also heard that living in Asia and coming across batiks in Indonesia were a big reason you started Tibi. Do you still incorporate those motifs in your designs?

AS: We started with batiks and I brought back that heritage in our swim collection. When we launched swim, I wanted to link it to something that was identifiable to us—things that meant the most to me. I used to do all my design work and printing out of Indonesia, about an hour outside Jakarta. The studio was right in the middle of fields of rice paddies.

TIS: Do you shop on eBay?

AS: I do!

TIS: What are some your favorite recent scores?

AS: My Alaia platforms. I saw them on Sea of Shoes and went straight to eBay to see if I could find them. They’re super high brown platforms with cut out detailing and they were sold out everywhere else.

TIS: What else are you looking for on eBay?

AS: It’s so random. I buy a lot of vintage prints, whenever the shape or layout of something catches my eye. I buy a lot of men’s shoes. We use them when we’re designing. They always have great details like the buckle or the stitching or the top of a brogue. Vintage printed caftans are what I search for the most. It’s so interesting to see, spacially, how they set up their prints. All of that stuff is really relevant when you design all your own prints.