Nicky Zimmermann on what Zimmermann does next: ‘It’s always been what excites me the most’
Zimmermann is undaunted by the scale of its success with creativity, and femininity, at the fore.
Zimmermann has shown its first collection since announcing it would sell a majority stake in its company to private equity investor Advent International for a reported $1.5bn-$1.75bn.
The collection was shown during Paris Fashion Week, something creative director Nicky Zimmermann says is always a thrill. “The city is buzzing with a creative and vibrant energy which I always find inspiring. And I love just being on the ground with my team, all doing what we love to do – the lead-up to any show is always really enjoyable for us,” she says.
The instant verdict? According to Nicky Hilton who talked toUSVogueon the way out of the door, it was “easy and hot”.
It was a perfectly apt description for the collection – with its signature femininity and flounces in tiered gelato-hued shirt dresses and froths of florals paired with more work-a-day pieces such as boxy shirts, cropped jackets and boiler suits.
On her mood board this season, says Zimmermann, were “works by various abstract landscape colourists, more classic botanical art and photos of naturalist sculptures. The mood is clean and fresh with a strong expression of colour. It’s feminine but with some tougher highlights,” she says.
In a forthcoming feature in Vogue Australia, on news-stands from Thursday, the sisters insist the scale of their success won’t change the way they work.
“It’s just not possible, to be honest. It’s so much a part of our lives and what we do,” Nicky Zimmermann tells Alice Birrell, Vogue Australia’s fashion features director in the piece.
“We didn’t do this to lead us to doing something else. This is what we do,” adds Simone. “Yes, it’s a bigger business but … it hasn’t fundamentally changed.”
Post Paris Fashion Week, the brand is focusing on expansion. Since it first launched at the Paddington Markets in 1991, it has grown to 59 stores around the world, and a staff of around 900.
“I’m looking forward to the opening of our second boutique in Paris, on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, in the next couple of months.
“We have a few other new store projects across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that we are working on for early next year too,” says Nicky Zimmermann.
“In terms of the day to day, I love working with our team in the studio and I think there’s so much more we can do creatively to keep taking our collections forward.”
