Tibi Eats 007 | SSI
SS'24 & FW'24 Campaign Shoot | St. Simon's Island, GA
Over the years at Tibi we have had the unique privilege of traveling to special, often times remote locations around the world to produce campaigns centered around the collections of the present and immediate future. A couple of years ago the creative team flew to San Miguel de Allende, MX, and just before that, we found ourselves in a slightly less remote, but equally as special bodega in Port Chester, NY. The sight of a campaign shoot is integral to the process and outcome. Where you are and the inspiration to be drawn from your surroundings directly affects the creative output of a project. For some photoshoots, a studio in Brooklyn will do just fine, and actually be preferable given the situation. But for others, the environmental surroundings become a necessary means for progressing the story that the collection looks to tell.
This year, for our Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 2024 collections, we shot a couple campaigns in studios around NYC, but in early April we made our way down to St. Simon’s Island (SSI), Georgia for a four day shoot that was over six months in the making. Our team of 13 would be shooting three models at six different locations over three days, with one day devoted to scouting and still life. In my eyes, this trip represents an ultimate full circle moment for Tibi and Amy. SSI is where Amy grew up, it is where the first few thousand dresses were delivered by 18-wheeler to my grandparent’s garage just off the Sea Palms golf course, it is where our family has gathered for the last 20+ years during the holidays, and it is now where we shot what are arguably four of the best Tibi collections of the last 3 decades. A full circle moment.
The ability of our small team to mesh, collaborate, and read each other’s minds is why we can successfully pull off these high-stakes, on location photoshoots with very little to no margin for error. Sure, you can learn a lot about someone as you watch them scarf down an RX bar at 5:30 am on the way to a remote beach for a 16 hour day in the sun, but the strength of this bond especially grows with each family meal at the end of these long days on set.
Our first group meal was a late one at Gnat’s Landing in Red Fern Village after a day of scouting and still life photography. Gnat’s is a SSI institution that has been around since 1999. I have vivid memories as a child running across the street to Gnat’s for a chicken fingers and french fries break before running back to my Grandfather’s art gallery to paint and roam around his studio all day. The classic Gnat’s slogan: “remember… if you want home cookin' - stay home. And always, free beer tomorrow” continues to ring abundantly true, and as the same surfboards and heritage beer signs from 2005 adorn the wood planked walls, it is a restaurant that I would dub a quintessential island staple with a home that could be none other than SSI.
The next day we ventured out bright and early to photograph the Fall ‘24 and Winter Capsule ‘24 collections amongst the driftwood and weathered trees on Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island. The trees on Driftwood Beach have been severely weathered by the sun, wind, salt water, and various other conditions to create a beautiful, yet eery scene as their partial remains intertwine with the dark sand and other living aspects of the environment. This set provided the perfect backdrop for the Fall and Winter Capsule collections, and produced some of the most intriguing campaign assets of the entire trip. For lunch on Jekyll Island we made a short diversion from the beach to Tortuga Jack’s, a classic Baja-Mexican restaurant with a massive oceanfront tiki-hut bar. There you will find Consuela, Wall-E’s second girlfriend, a robot food runner that dances plates to your table as an array of mariachi tunes stream from her speakers.
Aside from this big group lunch, most days our crew was fueled by Frosty’s Griddle & Shake or Sea Salt Healthy Kitchen, both spots are simple and easy, run by wonderful locals, and are of course incredibly delicious.
Speaking of Frosty’s, for our last night on the island we ordered take-out from Southern Soul BBQ, both of which are run by the talented and creative chef/owner Griffin Bufkin, a SSI legend and long-time high-school friend of Amy’s. Over the last five years I have had the privilege of being surrounded by the best barbecue in the world in Austin, Texas; Southern Soul is the closest thing to Texas barbecue that I have had outside of the state (this is about as big of a praise I can give for any barbecue spot located beyond the Texas borders). We were so exhausted, mentally and physically, that throwing on some Calder sweatpants and getting cozy with the team felt like the perfect way to wrap the trip. We all huddled around a big table outside of our hotel, drank a couple beers, and plated up our barbecue as the team traded core memories from the last four days. A scene that would not have been complete or possible without Southern Soul and their incredible hospitality.
St. Simon’s Island is an island by the locals for the locals, and I think it is fair to say that Tibi plays an integral role in the SSI community; we have had a store on the island for over 24 years and our warehouse, full of the most wonderful, dedicated people, is located just 30 minutes away on the mainland. I love SSI, and I love the creativity that the island pulls out of you; I credit much of the creative success of this trip to the essence of the island, in a special way that does not disrespect the crazy hard work of the Tibi team. The Spring/Summer ‘24 campaigns from SSI are coming out as you read this, and the Fall/Winter ‘24 campaigns will release in a couple of months. This was a truly inspiring trip where I felt incredibly grateful to work in the presence of such professionals at every level of the production, and I hope the content resonates with you all as deeply as it does with us.
Love SSI