Zimmermann’s never-ending summer

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Sep 10, 2019

One of the hottest brands anywhere today in fashion has to be Zimmermann, an Australian marque that's been on a slow boil for years and is now enjoying the benefits of long-term thinking. And staying true to your roots and DNA, as this was a very fine Spring 2020 collection.

Inspired by the last days of school as excitement builds at the thought of the summer break and hitting the marvelous beaches of Sydney, Creative Director Nicky Zimmermann whipped up a tremendous statement of fashionable joie de vivre and cunning commercial cool.
 
Staged in a midtown studio whose walls were covered with giant black and white images of Pacific Ocean cliffs north of Sydney’s hippest neighborhood, Bondi Beach, the collection was entitled Wavelength.

From her opening silk blouses and short, flirty dresses – done in a densely packed mash-up logo sporting print – to the beautiful haute hippie and gypsy dresses, the whole mood was one of tremendous zest.
 
Moreover, the designer upped the ante with some beautiful lace ensembles, which climaxed with a marvelous flaming orange guipure gown. Zimmermann actually sources the material from a chap in Northern China, though the quality was worthy of St. Gallen, the Swiss city that provides guipure for the likes of Prada and Akris.
 
Nicky Zimmermann explained that the clothes were inspired by a moment when her high-school teacher took her class to see the classic surfing film The Endless Summer, and "the exotic beaches, sense of adventure, the fun and freedom to travel the world doing something you loved."
 
Very much a company on the move, Zimmermann opened a boutique in Paris this year, following one in Saint-Tropez in 2018, while its swimwear is a best seller on Net-A-Porter. Moreover, one had only to look at their audience today in Manhattan – half of them were wearing the brand, an acid test of a happening design label.

 
Mea culpa, the one time this editor attended a Zimmermann show a decade ago in Sydney, there was a power black out. But the lights are all on and blazing these days at Zimmermann, Australia’s most successful fashion marque.
 
Too often pigeonholed as a purveyor of retro Victorian frocks and bright swimwear, Zimmermann is in fact a great brand, which has managed to combine the optimism of Australia – a land oft referred to as "The Lucky Country" – with a sophisticated Western finish in a winning combo.