Zimmermann vs Alémais: Which Sydney House Should You Buy?

Choose Zimmermann for lace, structure and a formal occasion, and Alémais for print, linen and anywhere you would rather be comfortable. Both are Sydney labels. Zimmermann was founded in 1991 by Nicky and Simone Zimmermann and is a global luxury house with its own stores. Alémais was launched in 2020 by Lesleigh Jermanus, who held senior design roles at Zimmermann before starting her own label, and it sits one rung below on price and squarely on the same customer. On Luxury Handbags the median Zimmermann price is $1,590 against $690 for Alémais. This is how they compare on the things that decide a purchase.

At a glance

Price

The gap is real and it is consistent. Zimmermann’s Luxury Handbags range runs from $1,350 at the first quartile to $2,670 at the third. Alémais runs $415 to $865. At the brand, an Alémais linen shirtdress is AUD 590 to 690 and its silk dresses AUD 790 to 1,300. On Luxury Shoes , a quarter of the Zimmermann range sits above $2,670. You are paying roughly 2.3 times as much for Zimmermann, and what you get for it is lace, guipure, hand-finished silk organza and the store network. What you get from Alémais at the lower number is an original print and, on the embroidered pieces, handwork that Zimmermann would price far higher.

Fabric

Zimmermann is built on silk organza, silk chiffon, cotton broderie anglaise and guipure lace, with linen for its resort lines. The organza holds a tiered shape and photographs beautifully, and it snags, so its formal pieces are dry clean and careful storage. Alémais is built on linen first. Linen is 55% of everything the brand has made by weight, 85% of it European flax in 2024, with silk twill and sandwashed silk satin for evening, organic cotton for the tees and RWS wool for the knits. Its plain linen pieces hand wash and soften with wear. If your holiday involves a suitcase and a washing line, that decides it.

Sizing and fit

This is where the two houses differ most, and where returns happen. Zimmermann uses a 0 to 4 scale. A 0 is a UK 8, a 1 a UK 10, a 2 a UK 12, and its fitted styles are cut close at the ribcage and bust, so between sizes the advice is to go up. Alémais uses AU and UK numbers from 4 to 16 with the US size printed alongside, and of the 98 current styles we checked, 62 are described by the brand as oversized and relaxed. Its advice is your usual size, sizing down only if you want a regular line on an oversized cut. Put a Zimmermann 1 and an Alémais AU 10 side by side and they are the same UK 10 on paper, but the Alémais will feel a full size roomier. We cover the Alémais ladder and garment measurements in the Alémais size guide.

Sustainability

Alémais publishes an impact report for 2021 to 2024 with numbers: 75% preferred materials by weight in 2024, synthetics under 5% of fibre use, 72% organic cotton, 100% of garment factories traced and 59% of fabric and yarn mills, every supplier audited under SMETA, BSCI and Fairtrade by the end of 2023, and a tree planted for every garment, more than 600,000 so far. Zimmermann publishes a corporate responsibility policy, a supplier code of conduct and a modern slavery statement, but not comparable figures. Neither brand claims B Corp certification, and an earlier version of this article was wrong to say Alémais held it. On what can be verified, Alémais is the more transparent of the two.

Occasion by occasion

The verdict

Buy Zimmermann when the occasion is formal and the dress is the event. Buy Alémais when you want to look like yourself on holiday, at a long lunch and at a wedding that is not in a cathedral, and when you would rather spend $690 than $1,590. Both are on Luxury Shoes , shipped by DHL Express and FedEx from licensed boutiques, with duties collected on delivery for most countries. Shop the Alémais edit and the Zimmermann edit, read the best Alémais dresses to buy now, and if neither is quite right, brands like Alémais and brands like Zimmermann.

Frequently asked questions

Is Alémais cheaper than Zimmermann?

Yes, by a wide margin. On Luxury Handbags the median Alémais price is $690 and the median Zimmermann price is $1,590, so Zimmermann costs about 2.3 times as much. A quarter of the Zimmermann range on Luxury Handbags sits above $2,670, while three quarters of Alémais sits below $865.

Zimmermann vs Alémais for a wedding guest: which is better?

Zimmermann for a formal, church and marquee wedding where lace and a fitted bodice are the register. Alémais for a destination, beach and garden wedding where a printed silk shirtdress and a flat sandal are right. For a black-tie wedding, Zimmermann’s gowns are the more conventional choice and Alémais’s Adeline Drape Gown the quieter one.

How does Zimmermann sizing compare with Alémais?

Zimmermann uses its own 0 to 4 scale, where a 0 is a UK 8 and a 1 a UK 10, and its fitted styles are cut close at the ribcage. Alémais uses AU/UK numbers from 4 to 16 and cuts most styles relaxed and oversized. In practice a Zimmermann 1 and an Alémais AU 10 are the same UK 10, but the Alémais piece will feel a full size roomier.

Is Alémais more sustainable than Zimmermann?

Alémais publishes more. Its 2021 to 2024 impact report gives figures for materials, supply chain traceability and audits, and it plants a tree for every garment. Zimmermann publishes a corporate responsibility policy and a modern slavery statement but not comparable numbers. Neither brand claims B Corp certification.

Are Zimmermann and Alémais related?

Not as companies. Both are Sydney labels, and Alémais founder Lesleigh Jermanus held senior design roles at Zimmermann before launching her own house in 2020, which is why the two are so often compared. Zimmermann was founded in 1991 by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann.