Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayes Stoddard.
Hi Hayes, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have been shopping at Tibi since 2001 and continued to build my love and interest for the brand and fashion throughout the years. Attending the University of Alabama and majoring in Apparel Design, an internship for credit was expected for all of those in my major. My love for Tibi made my internship a no-brainer for me, I had been an avid fan of the brand for years, and in 2008 I reached out to Amy Smilovic’s mom, Judy Wallin, to see if I could potentially get an internship in NYC. I spent half of my summer in NYC learning the ins and outs of retail & a growing brand, which I brought back to the Tibi Outlet on St Simons for the remainder of my internship. After graduating college, I came back and worked in the Tibi Outlet for 7 1/2 years as a stylist on the team, where I attended fashion shows, grew to understand what all went into the full function of a design & sales team as well as nurtured relationships with clients that I still have to this day. After living in Dallas for a year, I found myself back on St Simons and running back into Amy, Creative Director & Founder of Tibi; she had been curating a position for me ever since I left and couldn’t wait to share the role she had been creating over the past year. Not much convincing was needed, all she had to say was: traveling domestically & in Canada, visiting Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue & Intermix, and I was sold. I went on to be the Brand Stylist for Tibi for 3 years, where I got to travel to all over the country, seeing some of the most extravagant stores and meeting some of the most amazing team members that I am still friends with today. It was a dream come true until Covid hit, where we were all in limbo of what it meant for the brand, and my traveling obviously came to a halt. After a couple months Amy reached back out and said she needed me to manage the St Simons store and help cultivate this new ‘lifestyle’ where we would be reaching customers virtually: hosting IG Lives, Virtual Styling Appointments, and curating this business mindset of shopping from home while still developing relationships with our clients. I have now been the manager at the St Simons location and have seen the business boom due to Amy’s, Tibi’s & all of our stylists Instagram accounts, and it has been such a beautiful experience to be a part of. We celebrated our 25th anniversary this past Fall for our Spring 2023 collection, where we invited some of our clients we had developed these relationships with virtually. Having customers come from all over the world that we had just previously spoken with through IG, it was such a cool experience for us and for these clients to see how small our Tibi family is and that we really do work so closely together!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing in life is easy; of course, there have been some trials and tribulations along the way. Having this small brand grow so fast in such a short amount of time definitely resulted in growing pains for everyone involved. What I love about Tibi is that we all have a clear understanding that we are not saving lives and that we can’t take ourselves too seriously. Something I try to live by every day is reminding myself change is gradual, and you have to allow yourself to feel the change as it comes, nothing is worth getting too worked up on, and control is out of your hands!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I manage the Tibi St Simons location, but I am much more than just a manager. My day-to-day is never the same, but the end result is always ensuring I give exceptional customer service, support my team in every aspect, stay true to myself and genuinely care for my clientele, and helping them feel confident in their everyday life through styling. At Tibi, we live by the Creative Pragmatic lifestyle; Amy defines a Creative Pragmatist as the following “An individual who values creativity and pragmatism in daily life applies both to their style choices. They thrive on personal expression and use fashion to express that creativity. In equal measure, the CP desires functionality, a real practicality in how clothing works in their wardrobe. When creativity and pragmatism are in balance, they feel most like themselves.” This is something I have implemented in my day-to-day lifestyle and has allowed me let go of the materialism I had thought the fashion industry embodied prior to me working for the company.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I truly believe in living your life to the fullest and trying to say yes to every opportunity. I wish I could say that I have always lived my life that way, but unfortunately, I cannot. I went through several personal trials and tribulations in my early 20s that have helped shape me into the person I am today; I am grateful for them but do wish I had said yes, many more times than I have!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tibi.com
- Instagram: @hayes.tibi
Image Credits
Elegant Island Living Magazine
