Australian brand Zimmermann opened its first boutique in the Middle East last month. The fashion label founded by sisters Nicky Zimmermann (Creative Director) and Simone Zimmermann (CEO) in 1991, initially rose to prominence with its elegant swimwear tailored for the quintessential Australian beachgoer. The brand later expanded its repertoire to include ethereal dresses that capture the essence of the modern, romantic woman. Now, Zimmerman’s focusing on increasing its global reach with its first boutique in the Mall of Emirates.
Designed in collaboration with Studio McQualter, the Zimmermann Dubai boutique exudes elegance and sophistication, blending Australian charm with Dubai’s luxurious ambiance. From the vintage Edwardian solid brass handles adorning the entrance to the custom Palladiana tile flooring from Italy, every detail has been meticulously curated to create an appealing shopping experience.
The recent opening is the first in a series planned across the region, positioning the brand as a beacon for future Middle Eastern Zimmermann fans. To delve deeper into the brand’s journey and its vision for the future, we sat down with founders Nicky and Simone Zimmermann to explore their expansion in the region:
We’ve had such a loyal following in the Middle East for some time and it’s been amazing to see that relationship develop further with our first store at the Mall of Emirates. Our clients love to shop in person and to be immersed in the full brand experience, so it’s been great to finally provide a quintessentially Zimmermann environment. We’ve had such a positive and welcoming response since opening, which has been amazing. It was such a thrill for Simone and I to visit the store a few weeks ago and meet clients and see the project come to life.
It’s very exciting to finally be up and running there – there’s always a lot of groundwork to be done before opening in a new region, but now we’ve established a base to continue that growth. We’ll continue to nurture our relationship with our Middle Eastern clients; our next store is set to open in Riyadh in late August and another in Dubai before the end of the year. Having stores open in the region is allowing us to really cement our place in the region and we are looking forward to building on that.
We’ve forged our own path and continue to do so. We followed our instincts to create our own place within the market, rather than trying to fit ourselves into it – when we went overseas to the US for the first time in the early ’90s, it was all about minimalism, and we came in with our print and color and detail and found our client. There is never an end in sight, it’s always about where we can go to next. I think when you have that approach, you’re always really engaged and excited by what you do, which allows us to continue to grow the business into new areas. We also have a wonderful team and being able to go on that journey with so many talented people has been at the heart of the brand.
To me our signature look has always been about striking a balance. In our early days that was pairing swimwear with our ready-to-wear. As we’ve evolved, we’ve kept that mindset – we’re always asking, how can we make this garment or look engaging for our clients? When designing a collection that will often look like tempering our feminine pieces with more versatile, masculine ones. I think that’s what makes our look so timeless; there’s a lot that is considered, knowing that when someone invests in a piece, they plan to keep it forever.
The beauty space generally is something I’m keen to explore in time. For now, we are continuing to really build up our existing collection categories, to see them come into their own. Things like footwear, denim, jewelry, eyewear – clients are really embracing our take on these and it’s really exciting for me as a designer. At this stage in my career, I really crave learning; it’s so interesting to me to be able to focus on other accessory categories beyond the ready-to-wear. As Simone said, there’s no end in sight and we want to hone our craft in all areas.
When we started out, we were always hearing ‘don’t go into business with family’ and ‘don’t go into fashion’. It was the best and the worst advice at the same time – we obviously didn’t listen to it, and it gave us more motivation to forge our own path and run things how we wanted to. It was an important lesson in listening to our instincts, something that was even more necessary back then, starting a global fashion label from Australia without any formulas to follow – we played to each other’s strengths to make the business run.
A well-tailored suit, a good carry-all bag and a piece you just love and will keep forever, even if it’s just to look at.
The Zimmermann Dubai boutique is located at Level 2 of the Mall of Emirates. zimmermann.com
