Surf’s up! Zimmermann unveils sexy summer inspo at New York Fashion Week
Sydney designer Zimmermann showed off its latest collection at New York Fashion Week, with some serious star power in the front row.
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Billowy blouses, printed shorts and maxi dresses — Australian fashion powerhouse Zimmermann has debuted its latest collection in New York.
The Sydney-based brand has served some seriously sexy summer outfit inspo, as it channelled Sydney’s surf culture in its most dressed-up form.
Katie Holmes sat front row as did Australian model Bambi Northwood-Blyth and Victoria Lee, and Victoria’s Secret model Georgia Fowler, as creative director Nicky Zimmermann unveiled her eponymous brand’s ready-to-wear spring/summer ‘20 collection, dubbed “Wavelength”.
The label is continuing its dominance of the American market, with a place on Fashion Week’s coveted official runway schedule and a growing retail empire in the States.
The Sydney-based label, which Nicky founded with her sister Simone, channelled a 1966 surf doco called The Endless Summer.
The set featured images of beachside cliffs and the ocean, set on a bright magenta backdrop at New York’s Sir Stage 37.
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On the runway, Zimmermann showcased citrus tones that channelled the sunrise, and “sea foam green” and blue inspired by the ocean, according to its design statement.
Known for its signature prints, this season featured girl surfers and palm tree motifs, while the silhouettes were “cropped silk twill windcheaters” and “box, man-style linen shirts”.
Zimmermann creative director Nicky Zimmermann took inspiration from the schoolyard — specifically, Taren Point Public School in Sydney’s south — for the beachy collection.
“It was a small local school and was probably not unlike most others around suburban Sydney in the 70s,” Zimmermann said, in introducing Wavelength.
“I have this fond memory of the last days of the year before the holidays — it was the beginning of the summer in Sydney and that time of the year when we didn’t do much school work, which suited me fine,” she said of the range.
“Our teacher let us watch the surf documentary The Endless Summer in our small school hall.
“I thought it was so great — these exotic golden beaches and surf spots, the sense of adventure, the fun and the freedom to travel the world doing something you loved.
“I wasn’t a surfer but grew up around the beach like most local kids and I loved the lifestyle. I wanted my school holidays that year to feel like the film.
“The collection has been inspired by the excitement of summers as much as the film itself.”
One thing’s for certain: Zimmermann’s latest line is made for the Australian summer.
Zimmermann has continued its retail expansion into American market, opening its sixth store in New York this week with a VVVIP launch attended by Holmes, Lee and Nicky Hilton.
The latest location is a 159 square metre flagship store, in a 1940s heritage listed building on Madison Avenue, and follows other boutiques in Soho, East Hampton and the Meatpacking district.
BACKSTAGE STYLE AT ZIMMERMANN
