CP Radio 024 By Tibi Playlist

At last NYFW is upon us, and as was the case last year, our CP Radio curation for the month of September will play the all-important role of our non-religious, musical bible for the next 3 weeks while we prepare for our Spring 2027 Runway show on September 12 at 3:00 p.m.

From now until early October, our minds turn to Spring ‘27. And while true, that phrasing alone does not suffice to capture the immersive experience that successfully producing, executing, and marketing a runway show of Tibi’s magnitude in September calls for. For those not directly in the fashion industry, or not with a runway brand, I would liken this experience to that of an actor’s process in shooting a new movie. We’ve all heard the stories, and seen the physical transformations of actors/actresses “getting into character” for their roles - Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men, Heath Ledger in Joker, Frances McDormand in Nomadland - and though we are not losing 45 lbs, or shaving our heads, we do shift into a special mode of operations that quiets the outside world and brings us into the present.

The office has begun to take on muted hues of black, navy, and grey. We listen to, on repeat, the set-list for the show. We memorize shot lists. We study, and study, and then study again, the lineup, the inspiration boards, the collection and its pieces. And we have two days of school, literal school. From the end of August to mid-October we are, from head-to-toe, ear-to-ear, mind, body, and spirit, immersed in Tibi Spring 2027. And quite frankly, when you are the oldest, independent designer clothing brand in the United States, there is no other way. A runway show of this size, for a brand like Tibi, can only be successful through this mindset.

And so, one might be curious as to why this matters for CP Radio. Well, the creative world is an all-encompassing place. It’s a realm where sound, color, smell, texture, setting, and much more collaborate and fight in the process of creation. It’s a world of inputs that are equally as, if not more, important that the outputs. It’s a world of catalysts, the best of which spark emotion, which is then harnessed into creation. In 2026, the inputs we are forced to take in on a daily, even hourly basis, are innumerable, and this reality facilitates a tornado of information that, when working toward such a singularly-minded and specific goal like a NYFW runway show, is a sever hinderance to clear thinking and productivity. CP Radio is the escape. It is it the real safe space, where everything you need is present, and nothing more. 024 is what we can listen to in September while drawing, designing, writing, and shooting, without distraction. And, outside of its use case for us at present, it also happens to be a pretty, pretty, pretty good playlist.

Some tracks of unique mention from the playlist - Till The Moon Don’t Shine by Female Species: two sisters out of Southern California who brought on 3 classmates to form an all-female garage-rock band in the height of the ‘60s. It’s Alright by ESG: the dance-punk, funk band started by the Scroggins sisters in the South Bronx in the late ‘70s whose track, UFO, still remains one of the most sampled songs in history. And Otis by The Durutti Column, because I have no clue how this hasn’t been on a CP Radio before. On this month’s curation there are also some runway show songs, though they will go unnamed for now - we will write a special article post-show to go through this year’s process with Javier. It’s a beautiful story. And while I won’t delve too far into the inspiration behind the Tibi Spring ‘27 inspiration so as to save that for our post-runway storytelling, this playlist may contain a few hints.

Seeing how this is an article about the influence of music on our daily lives, we would be remiss to not honor the legend, Dolly Parton. For as long as I can remember, Dolly Parton has not just been an inspiration for me, and for the important women in my life, but also for Tibi. As the two go hand-in-hand, her music and her approach to living has shaped much of the way we move at Tibi, both creatively and pragmatically. No other artist has been the feature of more conversations, the creative influence on more inspiration boards, and the example of how to be more than Dolly Parton - the Spring 2027 Collection is no exception. And always she will be.