First Look: Introducing Zimmermann’s Fall 2021 RTW Collection, In Concert, a landmark seasonal release now revisited as a defining moment in the brand’s archive. “This season I started with the memory of a music television show in Australia in the 70’s and 80’s called Countdown. Growing up in the suburbs, between 6pm and 7pm each Sunday night, it was this exciting and inspirational escape for me, where music, fashion and a wider world came together. There were all these great international bands who were touring Australia, performing alongside established and emerging local artists, and these hilariously candid interviews with the host, Molly Meldrum. I loved the energy and creativity that came together with each show – it was so addictive! It was a really important influence on me growing up as a teenager, which is funny when I think back to it. The collection themes came as much from the mood it evoked as much as the eras it traversed.”
With thanks to:
Creative Direction michelle jank
Stylist Romy Frydman
Runway Film Lorin Askill, Anthony Lau, Bonnie Elliott, ACS
Runway Stills Simon Lekias
Backstage Sets Charlie Dennington, Pierre Toussaint, Sonny Vandevelde
Music Director Mimi Xu
Featured Artists Azure Ryder, Stevan, E^ST, Johnny Hunter
Art Direction Smile Agency
Production Rizer, Cat Rose
Make Up Noni Smith
Hair Renya Xydis at Valonz for Wella Professional
Shot on location in Sydney, Australia
Five years on, the 'In Concert' collection is widely cited by critics and stylists as a touchstone reference for Zimmermann's ongoing exploration of nostalgia-driven femininity, an aesthetic thread that continues to shape the brand's identity through its mid-2020s runway presentations.
The Aesthetic Language of In Concert: Decoding the Collection
The In Concert collection arrived as one of Zimmermann’s most culturally layered seasonal offerings, translating the visual energy of late-twentieth-century Australian pop television into a coherent and wearable wardrobe. Designer Nicky Zimmermann drew directly from the archive of the television program Countdown, which aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1974 to 1987 and served as the country’s primary platform for music culture, performance, and youth style.
That source material translated into silhouettes defined by fluid midi lengths, exaggerated ruffled hems, and broderie anglaise detailing rendered in an earthy, sun-saturated palette. Warm terracottas, dusty mauves, and faded golds recalled both the warm tones of 1970s Australian suburbia and the washed-out hues of vintage photographic prints. Structured denim pieces nodded to the casual pragmatism of the era, while sheer printed fabrications introduced an almost theatrical softness consistent with Zimmermann’s signature aesthetic.
The collection also demonstrated a precise understanding of proportion. Cropped blouses worn against high-waisted skirts created a deliberate visual tension between restraint and abundance, a balance the brand has refined across multiple seasons. Embellishment was present but disciplined: delicate floral embroideries and carefully placed sequin applications added surface interest without undermining the collection’s grounded, memory-driven mood.
Production and Presentation: A Multi-Format Runway Strategy
The In Concert collection was presented through a runway film format, a deliberate creative and logistical choice reflecting the global context of its release in early 2021. Rather than treating the film as a secondary document of a live runway event, Zimmermann commissioned a fully realized cinematic production shot on location across Sydney, Australia, with a creative team that extended well beyond a standard fashion show structure.
Director Lorin Askill, collaborating with cinematographer Anthony Lau and editor Bonnie Elliott ACS, constructed a film that functioned as a music performance document as much as a fashion presentation. Live sets from featured artists Azure Ryder, Stevan, E^ST, and Johnny Hunter provided original soundtrack material, underscoring the collection’s foundational connection to Australian contemporary music culture. Music director Mimi Xu coordinated a sonic landscape that moved fluidly between genres, mirroring the cross-genre eclecticism of the Countdown program itself.
Creative direction by Michelle Jank and styling by Romy Frydman ensured that each look read as both a fashion statement and a character within the broader narrative. Backstage documentation by Sonny Vandevelde and set design by Charlie Dennington and Pierre Toussaint added further dimension to the archive record. Still photography by Simon Lekias provided the high-resolution editorial imagery that subsequently circulated across global fashion media, extending the collection’s reach well beyond the runway film audience.
Lasting Influence: Why In Concert Remains a Critical Reference Point
Five years after its release, the In Concert collection is consistently cited by critics, stylists, and fashion historians as a defining episode in Zimmermann’s brand evolution. Its significance rests on several converging factors: the sophistication of its cultural source material, the ambition of its multi-format production strategy, and the clarity with which it articulated a vision of nostalgia-driven femininity that the brand has continued to refine across subsequent seasons.
The collection established a template for how Zimmermann engages with cultural memory. Rather than deploying nostalgia as surface-level pastiche, In Concert demonstrated a methodology grounded in personal biography and precise historical specificity. That approach distinguished the brand from contemporaries working in similar aesthetic registers and reinforced Nicky Zimmermann’s reputation as a designer with genuine intellectual and emotional investment in her references.
From a commercial perspective, several key pieces from the collection achieved significant retail velocity, with the broderie anglaise midi dress and the printed chiffon blouse both registering as standout performers across the brand’s international markets. The collection also attracted sustained editorial coverage in publications spanning Vogue Australia, British Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar US, confirming Zimmermann’s position as a brand capable of generating global cultural traction from a distinctly Australian foundation.
For new audiences discovering the brand through its mid-2020s presentations, In Concert offers an essential point of entry into understanding how Zimmermann constructs its identity: through memory, craftsmanship, and a consistent belief that femininity is most powerful when it carries the weight of a genuine story.
