Ports 1961
The Label
The Canadian collection, originally called Ports International, launched as a luxury sportswear line in 1961. When the company changed hands in the early nineties, new ownership closed down North American doors to focus on Asia. In 2003, the brand, known for its smart, artsy-chic styles designed by Tia Cibani, stepped back into the U.S. and Canada.
The Look
Comfortably sophisticated with a touch of romance.
The Designer
Tia Cibani has reinvented Ports 1961 with refreshing, wearable, and stylish silhouettes that embody modern sophistication. North African –born, the Vancouver-raised Cibani’s worldly travels are reflected in her mature designs. Having worked under brothers Dean and Dan Caten, who headed the design team at Ports during the nineties (they later founded D Squared2), Cibani was appointed creative director and moved to China where she cultivated an eclectic design aesthetic. She credits her associations with the multicultural artistic and creative community as influential in her seasonal collections. The urban, cosmopolitan landscape of her current residence in New York City fused with her lengthy stay abroad makes for a unique vision. Progressive and alluring, a new identity and market for the Ports brand is evolving.
