India-Inspired Threads Brighten NYC
tia cibani of ports 1961 adds color to the city
PrintThe jet set has new reason to celebrate, thanks to the creative director of Ports 1961, Tia Cibani. Although Canadian sportswear brand Ports International has been an industry mainstay for many years, Cibani just launched her line in 2004. Her fresh take on romanticism offers an ethnic twist, giving both the label and catwalk something entirely different.
Influenced by specific people, cultures, times and places—from Scotland to Tanzania—she defines luxury on her own terms. Cibani explains her vision after her packed show at the most recent New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, saying, “Really it was a journey to India ... I’ve always dreamed about doing an India-themed collection and it just felt right in September because it’s such a joyous, colorful culture. I just felt like it made sense at the time when everyone was doing gloomy to give something that has pop and playfulness and shine.”
Though Ports 1961’s success is due largely to Cibani’s great creativity, it can also be attributed to her restraint. She is able to give a collection huge personality without making it over the top. By adding international details to classic yet modern shapes, the pieces become pleasingly balanced. Metal thread, natural horn buttons, and exotic fabrics are just a few of the additions she and her team have used to turn the last collection into something unique. Such a forward-thinking attitude fits perfectly into New York City’s young, diverse character. Cibani reflects, “I think New York wants color, wants shine, wants to be feminine and flirty. And I think there are aspects of tailoring, balancing all that softness and all that color, that bring it to urban life, to city life. It’s not like a resort collection. It’s really actually very real, but it’s just balanced between soft and colorful and structured and masculine and serious.”
When looking at Ports 1961’s flowing, earth-toned frocks, one thinks downtown cool—not poolside chic. It comes as little surprise then that Ports 1961’s newest boutique has found a comfortable home in the Meatpacking District. Highly involved in the store’s design, Cibani was determined to make the space reflect her line’s international character. Perhaps its best feature is that soon, along with the clothing, there will be exotic trinkets that customers can buy.
“I will personally be shopping for it—little special finds from India, from Argentina, from Iceland,” Cibani explains. “I’ll bring them back with me. And they’re things that I would love to buy for myself and I will probably buy another six and sell them in the store just as a special, personal touch ... a blanket from Argentina, a piece of crystal from Prague and so on.” Even with incredibly chic neighbors such as Yigal Azrouël and Alexander McQueen, her shop is quickly becoming the highlight of the block.
Considering the popularity and critical acclaim Ports 1961 is currently enjoying, Cibani clearly is doing something right. Since 2004, socialites and stars like Nicky Hilton, Olivia Palermo, Debra Messing and Sienna Miller have begun to covet and flaunt the label’s chunky sweaters, delicate skirts and wooden accessories. Top magazines like Vogue and W also regularly feature Cibani’s work in editorial spreads, and various stores have picked up the line. Ports 1961 is well on its way to becoming a lasting name.
And with Cibani’s talent and optimism, there’s nowhere to go but up. She muses, “I live really in the present because I don’t calculate what I should do for what. I do what I feel is right for me today and I base it a lot on what has happened ... I think if you work well with your instincts at that moment, there’s no wrong in what could be in the future because it’s from the heart. It’s real.”
9 April 2009
vol. 6, issue 9
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