When sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann sold a majority stake of their eponymous label three years ago to US equity firm Advent International, the brand’s $US1 billion (A$1.5 billion) valuation officially made it the most valuable label in Australian history.

This was not a foregone conclusion in an era characterised by slumping bricks-and-mortar trade, changing consumer habits and the rise of digital-first, direct-to-consumer brands. While a number of Australian fashion labels with one-time global reach are no longer in existence, or have significantly contracted (Alice McCall, Ellery, Dion Lee among them) over the past decade, Zimmermann has solidified its position.

The brand turns 35 this year and, last financial year, it reportedly doubled its global sales to $645.7 million.

“I’m very ambitious for what the business can do. It is Simone’s and my name – we’re just never not going to let it be the best. It’s the sort of people we are,” Nicky tells Broadsheet over the phone from Sydney, where she’s opened a new store. 

Zimmermann’s texturally rich, pattern-heavy take on womenswear has earned it a spot in the wardrobes of many A-listers, from pop stars like Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey to Hollywood VIPs including Margot Robbie and Olivia Wilde. It’s best known for its swim and resort collections, which expand on the visual world of Zimmermann’s detailed, sophisticated ready-to-wear apparel.

A broadening of the product mix – denim is one of its fastest-growing categories – and a new Paris atelier, which has enabled new supplier opportunities in the shoes, bags, jewellery, knitwear and denim segments, have fed into its rapid growth. 

But Nicky says that an increased retail presence is the key driver for the sales’ boom. 

Before Advent International’s acquisition, Zimmermann had 77 boutiques, including concessions (small retail spaces within other retailers, like department stores and airports) and outlets. Now it has 110, with a focus on Asia and the Middle East. The Zimmermanns have always prioritised retail over wholesale.

“People [are] welcomed in our store in a way that is quite classically Australian – unpretentious and welcoming,” Nicky says. “That’s completely unique, to be honest, in the luxury precincts we’re in around the world. We’re never going to make people queue up to come into the store … We [want to] make sure that the experience and the garment are worth the price.”

Over the years, the Zimmermanns have faced and survived countless tests: the Global Financial Crisis, the decline of department stores and the Covid-19 pandemic among them. Nicky says their approach was to look at these “major events as an opportunity, to think about how we might make adjustments in our approach and do things better”.

“You have to have a pretty sturdy character,” she continues. “It’s tough … There are problems that come along that have nothing to do with your business, and then there are problems that are directly involved in the fashion industry.

“My job is to deliver the collections, and my team and I remain laser-focused on that, while giving Chris [Olliver, her husband and the brand’s first CEO] and Simone the space to focus on the other strategic decisions. Those times were tricky for everyone, but there’s a strong sense of responsibility that carries you through.” 

It’s this combination of commitment and tenacity that seems to underpin the Zimmermann business, ensuring that even when the most unpredictable of hurdles occurs – like a moth infestation in the factory “where you lose all your stuff” – it can move through it with direction and self-assurance.

As an Australian business, some obstacles are baked in. Opposing seasons to the northern hemisphere is one, but there are many. “It’s very hard to sustain a business in just Australia, and then it’s very difficult to have a business outside Australia. You have to make that decision: do I want to do that or do I want to have a nice business in Australia [that’s] a certain size and is probably almost impossible to go beyond?”

The Zimmermann sisters chose the former, with the brand’s potential for global success apparent early. Nicky got her start in the early ’90s selling dresses at Paddington Markets and in 1996, five years after it launched, Zimmermann showed at the inaugural Australian Fashion Week. New York City’s influential department store, Bergdorf Goodman, stocked the label within weeks. “We knew we were uniquely placed as a brand and as an aesthetic; we always made sense [to] international buyers,” Nicky says. 

Nicky says the day-to-day at Zimmermann hasn’t changed since the sale to Advent. But Zimmermann is no longer just a family business, and Nicky’s no longer her only boss. “I probably work harder than I used to in the beginning. It’s a more intense job. There’s more pressure, there’s more stress, there’s more responsibility.”

On the secret to Zimmermann’s success, Nicky is humble and hard to crack. She consistently refers to the team she works with. Globally, there are approximately 1400 employees. The executive team comprises just the sisters and Olliver, who has been the label’s only CEO and will, on May 1, hand the reins to Roberto Eggs, most recently the chief business strategy and global market officer at the Moncler Group. (Olliver will remain as executive chair.)

Instead of pointing to strategic decisions that have kept them thriving, Nicky highlights persistence and striving for constant improvement.

“We’ve always felt it was important to move forward and with purpose, regardless of the situation. I think standing still is the risk, whether that’s creatively with the collections, or in the evolution of boutique experience for clients, or how we think about important brand moments,” she says. “So even in the challenging times that have been beyond our control, we’ve tried to find things that excite us, take calculated risks and execute the ideas well.

“As long as our customer can keep seeing the love and enjoyment that goes into what we do, that’s what I want. The moment I walk into [a Zimmermann] store and it looks generic, then that’s not interesting to me. It must be personal.”

zimmerman.com