Putting the blinders on and being authentically Australian are key drivers behind the Zimmermann label’s global growth.
This is according to Nicky Zimmermann, the brand’s co-founder, who shared insights at Vogue’s recent Forces of Fashion event at the Opera House earlier this month.
Nicky said that when she and her sister Simone started selling dresses at Paddington Markets in 1991, they had learned a lot about running a business during those years.
All that learning and growth led the brand to showcasing styles on runways at Paris Fashion Week, scaling to 85 stores globally, and scoring a $1.5 billion acquisition deal with Advent International.
“To be honest, how I approach most things, including sitting here and talking in front of people in the Opera House, is trying not to think about it really too much and just go in and do your job. Focus, get it done to the best that you can, because you're there for a reason.
“It's a responsibility to do everything you can.”
The creative director added that, in business, particularly with Zimmermann, there comes a bit of naivety that boils around a few different forces: luck, the people you work with, your past, your growth and the country you were born.
“If you're lucky, there is fusion. But it's always a percentage of all of these things for us. In the beginning, it was naivety. We just didn't know that you couldn't do that, but we did it.
“This is also something that still helps us now, because we are, and always have been, risk takers. Simone and I don’t particularly like the rules. So we go to Paris, and I'm never in a kerfuffle about, Oh, you got to do it like this.
“We just go and do it, how we do it, and it's fine. In fact, they like it."
Nicky was on a panel alongside Paspaley creative director Christine Salter and First Nations model Tatyana Perry, and chaired by Vogue Australia editor Edwina McCann.
When asked how important Paris is, Nicky said she is there every six weeks because it is the fashion capital of the world. Despite the average 23-hour flight between Sydney and the French capital, Nicky added this distance is almost like a global competitive advantage.
“We have a really good understanding of how important the distance is and what it means to come from Australia, creatively, and what you bring to the world,” she said. "It's an incredible advantage, because I find most Australians have a certain way that they work. We are a can-do people.
Nicky said this “can-do” attitude – where they simply get on with the job – is a great balance in her workplace.
“I have an atelier in Paris, and I'm working with all these designers that have been trained all around Europe. When my team flies over, the fusion is fantastic.
“It's not, Oh, you're more creative, or You're better at fashion than we are. That is not true. What I'm noticing is that they know that, and they see our work ethic and also our humour. There's no drama queens working around me, it's just fun.”
At the crux, Nicky said the Zimmermann brand has a DNA that is purely Australian – from the designs, to behaviour and the way it is showcased globally.
“Our DNA is Australian, but we're an Australian brand that has an international business. It is fantastic to go overseas and combine the culture and the different ways people have learnt design and creativity.
“It's outside of the box. That's Australia. We're outside of the box.”