Amy Smilovic has traveled the globe, but she’s never far from her Southern roots. Not only does the designer of Tibi routinely infuse her women’s contemporary collection with feminine Southern flair, but her company is headquartered in St. Simons Island, a place that has had an undeniable impact on her work.
“I think that it has influenced me in that it gives me a pretty balanced perspective on what people really do wear,” said the former Georgian during an appearance this month at Neiman Marcus. “I love fashion. I love for things to be out there and crazy, but it’s only so far I want to push it.”
Smilovic wasn’t always all about fashion. While her father, an artist, taught her to appreciate and observe her surroundings, it was the world of business that first caught her attention. As a child, Smilovic was always starting businesses, including a baby-sitting company and a line of ribbon and taffeta belts decorated with shells. After graduating from the University of Georgia, she went to work at the advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather. Advertising, she had decided, was the perfect career to satisfy both her creative and business sense. Smilovic later took a position at American Express, where she met her husband, who was then transferred to Hong Kong.
In Asia, even the petite Smilovic had trouble finding clothing to fit, so she began creating her own designs. “It was more out of practicality. Everything had short arms,” Smilovic said. “The direction I went was to provide clothes for other expats.” When those expats traveled to the United States wearing Smilovic’s designs in the Hamptons and Nantucket, stores started calling to inquire about her clothing. After a few such calls, Smilovic decided to take the company to the next level by taking her collection directly to Neiman Marcus.
Twelve years later, Tibi clothing is carried in more than 200 stores and boutiques and Smilovic is possibly the most well-known contemporary designer hailing from southeast Georgia. In 2005 Smilovic began showing at New York Fashion Week, and just over a year ago she added shoes to the collection. Today about 50 percent of business comes from international sales, but the Atlanta customer remains one of Tibi’s core audiences, Smilovic said. “There are certain things we know every time she’s going to buy,” she said.
Melissa Murdock of Sandpiper boutiques started carrying Tibi about six years ago, when Smilovic was still personally taking her clothing from store to store. “I kind of stumbled on Tibi, but the minute you saw it you could tell it had more of a Southern sensibility. It was always great fabrics, flirty designs and girlie dresses,” Murdock said. The line, she said, is a perfect fit for Atlanta, because even the fall and winter collections come in fabrics that can be worn 12 months out of the year. This season, long dresses have been huge with Sandpiper customers, Murdock said, but they also love the jackets and cute tops.
The smoky grays and blues mixed with splashy patterns in the Tibi fall collection were inspired by Gennady Spirin’s Russian fairy tale, “The Tale of the Firebird,” Smilovic said. On the runway, dresses were paired with leggings and accessories such as fur hats and fur wraps. Becoming a designer later in life helped inform her appreciation of high quality, she said, and her emphasis remains on great fabrics.
The growth of the contemporary market, which includes Smilovic and designers such as Anna Sui and Nanette Lepore, has allowed women who want to look unique without spending a fortune on clothing to express themselves and explore their sense of style, she said.
Smilovic has grown as well, rising above her business-oriented beginnings. “When you start a line, you know your way and you know what you want to do. My business background hurt me because you want to listen to customers, and every time I listened to someone else, it was wrong,” she said. “Now I’m really comfortable. I know what I want. I cannot be everything to everyone. It feels good.”
Style asked Smilovic to highlight some fall and holiday favorites for Atlanta customers. “There is more emphasis on things being transitional,” Smilovic said. “These are things that could have been worn in August as well as now.”
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