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Amy Smilovic, founder and creative director of Tibi, can find inspiration at any moment. "It really can hit that fast, but you do have to step outside of your world—in your office or in front of your computer. You have to get outside," Smilovic said. "That's the way to make it happen faster." For the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Smilovic shares what goes into designing a new collection for her brand; why she decided to publish her second book, Almost Reckless; the most versatile piece of clothing in her wardrobe; and more.
To read excerpts from the full conversation, scroll below.
I was wondering if you could give a little background on Tibi and the brand's core principles?
Tibi is a global brand. Independent. Always has been.
I started it in 1997 when I was living in Hong Kong. We're going on our 30th anniversary, which makes us officially the oldest, longest-standing independent, largest designer brand in America. There aren't many independent brands out there. I can say that, and it really is predicated on ready-to-wear, sportswear—things that we love. It is a very creative-driven company, and we show at New York Fashion Week and Paris twice a year, and that's about it.
How did you decide you had this second book in you? Who were you writing it for?
The reason why I wrote Almost Reckless was to really help people get their gut back or help refine or develop their own gut. I think this is so critical right now because you're in this world of AI. You are drowning in data, and you've got algorithms that really present themselves with so much certainty that there is one defined way forward. I don't believe in that at all, and … when we lose our gut and we start to trust only in the algorithm, we start to live life in a rearview mirror, right?
Almost Reckless really does help people to first get clarity on what success looks like for them so that they can really drill deep and use the principles of it to serve as guardrails for building their own path and charting their own course. Once you understand who you are, once you've set up your own principles, once you use them as guardrails, you can plow forward at a speed that really looks almost reckless to anyone else, but there's something very settling about knowing different.
I know you're launching the fall '26 collection soon and fall '26 fundamentals. Can you share a little bit about how you approach designing a new collection? Do you seek out inspiration, or is it more organic?
It comes when it comes. All of a sudden, you're on the train, and someone's got a book cover next to you, and you're just like, "Oh my god, what is that book? What is that book title? What are those colors?" Then you're just off and running. It really can hit that fast, but you do have to step outside of your world—in your office or in front of your computer. You have to get outside. That's the way to make it happen faster.
Traci [Bui-Amar] and I, we do have a Canva setup, and we'll just start dumping in things that we like. A lot of times, I'm trying to sell her on something that she's not buying into or vice versa.
What's the most versatile piece of clothing in your wardrobe right now?
I would say probably a wide-leg pair of nylon trousers. It looks sporty; it looks business-like. I can turn them into a jogger. I can roll them up.
The pieces that I can't live without are in our fundamentals. When something graduates to fundamentals, it meant that it proved itself so worthy to be in our closet basically forever. Nothing's forever, but if it got designated that award, then that's a big deal for that piece of clothing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.