Tibi X SCAD: A Learning Experience
Over this past year, something special has been happening behind the walls of the distinguished Savannah College of Art and Design. Students from an array of degree programs like fashion design, photography, film & television, had the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Tibi founder and creative director, Amy Smilovic and her team on the Fall 2021 campaign that debuted in early July.
Smilovic began sourcing materials from Italy and France, which eventually grew Tibi into the brand we know today. Raised by a family of artists off the coast of Georgia, her southern connection led Smilovic to reach out to SCAD president and founder, Paula Wallace. The idea was to collaborate with some of the SCAD students—Smilovic was aware of the talent and success these students have shown.
The talented students in question were also grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the first place, Nick Thomsen (B.F.A. Commercial Photography 2021) said, “Getting to see how we could all make our mark on this project was definitely a unique opportunity. I had the privilege of working side by side with Reed Young as the digital tech, making sure all the images are coming through and backed up—which is essentially the lifeline for these shoots. It’s extremely important to make sure the images are kept safe, and I felt a lot of pride that I was able to have such an important job.”
When Smilovic began to come up with ideas about where the campaign would be shot, she immediately wanted it to be in the low country of Georgia—and naturally thought it would be a great fit to bring in SCAD.
The students who were selected to work on the campaign with Tibi leadership had multi-day shoots at a total of 10 different locations throughout SCAD Savannah. Some of these unique locations include the university’s Ronald C. Waranch Equestrian Center, Pepe Hall (home to the largest fibers degree program in the country), and SCAD Savannah Film Studios—all demonstrating SCAD as an international leader in preservation and interior design.
If the shoot was not enough, Tibi held a masterclass for SCAD students and faculty from their historic Lucas theater that provided even more engagement with the university community. Current Fashion Design Senior, Jonathan Gomez told us what this meant to him and his work. "It was an incredible experience to work with Amy and the rest of the Tibi team on their FW21 campaign shoot here at SCAD. The team allowed for us to have hands-on experience working directly with the new collection and dressing the models for the shoot. As a fashion student, this was an experience of a lifetime to work with luxury clothing in that we could take a closer look at construction details as well as get an understanding of how clothing is marketed after the design process through a professionally executed photoshoot.”
SCAD and Tibi both were able to benefit from this artistic experience—SCAD students were able to have once in a lifetime, hands-on workplace experience, and Tibi was able to have a fresh look with new talent. If you are interested in learning more about Tibi or their Fall 2021 collection, check out their website here.