Amy Smilovic is a University graduate who became a self-made fashion sensation through her label, Tibi. She claims to have not been “the best student,” but clearly she drove herself to focus when it counted. It ends up, all she needed was a little direction.

“Once I had the [advertising] focus, school became the most exciting place for me.” Smilovic said.

“I was an advertising major with a business/arts minor. The journalism school was instrumental in helping me get my first job – at Ogilvy & Mather advertising.”

Through a series of fortunate events, Smilovic ended up with her husband in Hong Kong in 1997 with the business itch.

“I could draw, I had tons of ideas on what I wanted to wear, and I was in a place bursting with opportunities to start your own company,” Smilovic said.

Like any level-headed Georgia girl, she knew it was important not to overload herself.

“I created a capsule collection of just four pieces. I perfected those pieces, ordered them from the factory. and I set up sales right in my house.”

Smilovic’s designs were not groundbreaking but beautiful and timeless.

“By starting small and focused, I was able to self-fund my business. After receiving a few calls from stores in the U.S. and London, I knew that the opportunity for the line extended well beyond just Hong Kong,” Smilovic said.

After that expansion, New York became a mainstay for Tibi designs, and sometimes became lost in translation.

“I think my Georgia roots always play a role in the collection somewhere. in that the Tibi girl wants to look great all the time. Whether it’s at a football game, jogging or just walking to class. It’s quite the challenge to explain to my NYC design team how people dress at football games.” Smilovic said.

Southern culture is something Amy Smilovic definitely understands. A true Georgia girl, she was raised on the ideals of appropriate clothing at appropriate times, finding a unique look for herself and never taking fashion too seriously. When in college, Smilovic would occasionally rock “Hangover, out too late, chic,” she said.

“My idea of being put together would be slightly different – and I think [some] would possibly consider what I wore to class ‘slumming it.’” She said she is confident and comfortable with herself and what she does.

“The ultimate fashion mistake for a woman is to not have her own personal style,” she said. “It’s terrible to say, but often it’s those with the most cash that make this mistake. Once you’re head to toe a designer, or a trend, you’ve always then lost a bit of yourself.”