Australia’s biggest activewear moguls
Women’s sportswear is worth billions of dollars in Australia. But just who are the athleisure kings and queens we’re giving our hard-earned money to? See the list.
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Australia’s activewear moguls are raking in millions of dollars as they cash in the popularity of athleisurewear and activewear that we all became even more obsessed with during the Covid pandemic.
As more people have also begun to work from home and fashion has become even more relaxed, the Australian sportswear industry is now worth $8.5 billion, according to GlobalData with the market forecasted to reach $11.7 billion by next year.
Of this, women’s sportswear is expected to grow at 6.6 per cent to reach $4.3 billion by 2025.
But just who are the activewear moguls who have turned their side hustle or small business into a fully-scaled national or international business empire out of our penchant for leggings, bike shorts, crop tops and tracksuits?
Here is a list of the top creators of some of the biggest locally designed activewear brands in the country.
PIP EDWARDS: PE NATION
While her romantic relationships have often ruled headlines, it should not be forgotten just how sharp Pip Edwards’ business acumen is.
Ms Edwards, who has a commerce and law degree, started in fashion by creating the Ksubi label before she worked at Sass & Bide and General Pants Co.
She later created her activewear brand, PE Nation, in 2016 with ex-Sass & Bide senior designer, Claire Tregoning. In March this year, Ms Tregoning announced she was leaving the brand.
The Australian Financial Review last reported Ms Edwards earned $20m in revenue in 2020.
The following year, she moved into a $3.5m Rose Bay home in Sydney, where she currently resides with her teenage son, Justice. The 44-year-old co-parents Justice with former partner, fashion designer Dan Single.
She unveiled a new look for P.E Nation at this year’s Australian Fashion Week.
Last year Ms Edwards let go of six of her staff due to a company restructure and “challenging market conditions”.
LORNA JANE CLARKSON: LORNA JANE
Founded in 1990 by couple Lorna Jane Clarkson (nee Smith) and Bill Clarkson, Lorna Jane the brand was born after Ms Clarkson became an aerobics teacher in her 20s.
At the time, she wanted to create activewear that was both comfortable and stylish, and could be worn on the street and gym. No one would buy her designs, so she and her husband Bill opened up their own store in Brisbane. Needless to say, it was very successful.
According to The Australian Financial Review’s Rich Women List last year, she comes in at No. 67 with an estimated wealth of $134 million, thanks to her business and property portfolio and proceeds from selling two Los Angeles homes in 2021 for a combined $22m.
In 2021, Ms Clarkson also bought a luxurious $14m Byron Bay estate where Barbie’s Margot Robbie was married in 2016.
After the brunt of the Covid pandemic, Ms Clarkson was forced to pay a $5 million fine in 2022 after making false claims about products protecting people from Covid.
REBECCA JUDD: JAGGAD
In 2013, AFL WAG Rebecca “Bec” Judd and her husband, retired AFL player Chris Judd, bought triathlon brand Jaggad and transformed it into an athleisure wear powerhouse.
The pair partnered with friend Michelle Greene and her husband, retired AFL player Steven Greene, to create the Jaggad empire.
In 2018, the Judds purchased a luxurious $7.3m mansion in Brighton, Melbourne and transformed it into a “forever home” for them and their four children.
During the pandemic, Jaggad closed its bricks and mortar store and has since moved online.
It is no longer stocked in third party retailers either, as the pandemic showed that online sales was more successful and financially effective.
JASON DANIEL: LSKD
Ten years ago, Jason Daniel was a carpenter. Then he took his passion for fitness and adventure and created sportswear brand LSKD, which stands for Loose Kid, a nickname Mr Daniel picked up in high school.
Selling predominantly to customers online, Mr Daniel revealed in 2021 that revenue climbed from $3.3 million to $9 million, and that revenue was expected to reach $50 million by the end of that financial year.
In 2021, the activewear king bought a large, open plan, four bedroom home in Daisy Hill, Brisbane where he, his wife and their two children live.
Mr Daniel appeared on the Little Fish podcast last year and revealed the Queensland activewear brand was expected to bring in an $80m profit.
KATIA SANTILLI AND VERA YAN: NIMBLE
After meeting in a Melbourne high school at age 14, Katia Santilli and Vera Yan became the best of friends. Even though they went on to live in different locations (Ms Santilli moved to London and Ms Yan moved to Sydney), the two remained close.
When Ms Santilli returned to Australia to get her European passport, the two began working together on a business venture for “beautiful but functional activewear”. In 2013, Nimble was born.
The two co-founders originally shipped out orders from their living room, but in 2019 recorded a profit of $4 million. They have posted an annual growth of 50 per cent for the past five years.
JODHI MEARES: THE UPSIDE
Aussie model Jodhi Meares was living in Hawaii and New York in 2014 when she noticed the swell of the wellness movement.
The ex-wife of billionaire James Packer, who once dominated Australia with her Tigerlily bikinis before selling the company to Billabong, began her activewear brand The Upside based on the need for “fashion-forward and functional” athleisure wear.
In 2018, Mr Packer invested $800,000 into Ms Meares’ business. Along with its online store, The Upside has three stores in NSW in Bondi Junction, Miranda and Mosman.
According to The Australian, The Upside flourished during the pandemic, with a “90 per cent spike in sales of loungewear” and sales of shorts and bike shorts up “140 per cent year on year”.
Ms Meares bought a $2.75m Watsons Bay cottage in 2017 after selling the $2.4m Point Piper home she was given in her divorce from Mr Packer in 2002. She owns a number of properties in Sydney and spends part of the year in Hawaii.
CORIN AND YOLANDA POWELL: RUNNING BARE
Mother and daughter team Corin and Yolanda Powell have owned and operated the family business since 1983. This year marks 40 years of the brand Running Bare, which is designed and made in Australia.
Inspired by Bondi Beach, Running Bare remains proudly Sydney-based. The brand is known for embodying the spirit of athleticism “mixed with a dash of luxe”.
The activewear label has four boutiques in NSW, one in Victoria and another in Queensland. They also sell their wares online.
Currently, the brand’s revenue is estimated at $8.4m per year. The Powells have luxury homes in Rose Bay and in Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east.
VANESSA LEVEY: CLEO HARPER
When Vanessa Levey founded activewear brand Cleo Harper in 2016, she wanted to establish a label that was “really feminine in the activewear space”.
Ms Levey thought the activewear space was overly sporty with huge logos and so the Queenslander turned her attention to creating clothing that was “more refined, even elegant”.
Since inception, Ms Levey has operated an online-only business for her activewear label, Cleo Harper. But last year, she opened her first bricks and mortar store in Burleigh Heads in Queensland.
The brand has since developed a partnership with global fitness trainer Kelsey Wells, utilising the trainer’s millions of social media followers to attract new customers.
NADIA TUCKER AND STEVIE ANGEL: ACTIVE TRUTH
After moving to Brisbane on the same day in 2011, new neighbours Nadia Tucker and Stevie Angel became fast, firm friends.
In between “baby playdates and long pram walks in search of coffee”, the pair talked about their kids and changing bodies.
They were both frustrated with the way activewear looked on people who were not models and decided to start a label that could be accessible to women who were pregnant and wore larger sizes.
Even though they both had full-time jobs, they began their brand Active Truth in 2016, starting with “100 pairs of tights in a plastic tub, a homemade website and no marketing budget”.
Just two years later, their $20,000 investment yielded a $2m profit, with the label estimated to be worth double that now.
ADRIAN NORRIS AND EDWINA FOREST: AJE
Aje was founded in 2008 by best friends Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest.
They have built an empire on the strength of their womenswear, selling through outlets like David Jones and online through The Iconic. There are also physical stores throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the US and Asia.
In 2021, Aje launched its athleisure brand, Aje Athletica, after noticing that Australians were embracing a relaxed style of dressing post-pandemic.
In 2021, Ms Forest listed her Elizabeth Bay apartment in Sydney for $6m, and last year the co-founders put their Sydney headquarters in Surry Hills up for sale, with a purchase price of $13m.
According to the Australian Financial Review, Aje’s revenue is somewhere between “$100 million and $120 million”.
CAMILLA FREEMAN-TOPPER AND MARC FREEMAN: CAMILLA AND MARC
Siblings Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman set up their eponymous fashion label in 2003.
While Marc had the business sense, Camilla had the design knowledge, and together the pair created a fashion empire around the world. They have boutiques in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and are stocked in London and Paris.
Over the past few years, the siblings have entered the athleisure market with their activewear brand.
Ms Freeman-Topper lives in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill with husband Dave and their three children. Their house was purchased in 2019 and is an original 1920s-style bungalow once the home of prime minister Sir William McMahon. The couple sold their former residence for $17m before purchasing the bungalow.
Camilla and Marc - the brand - is estimated to pull in $41m per year.
ASHY BYNES: BASELINE ACTIVE
In June this year, fitness mogul Ashy Bynes announced the shock closure of her activewear brand, Baseline Active.
After four years in operation, the 35-year-old delivered the news of the brand’s closure on her Instagram account.
“This chapter is closing and a part of me is definitely sad and will miss aspects of this beautiful brand, but ALL of me knows this is the right choice for my health, wellbeing and next chapter,” the mum of two wrote.
Earlier in the year, Bines revealed she had suffered a brain aneurysm which left her temporarily blind in one eye.
“It’s been such a ride this past few months and my health scare made me re-evaluate everything, however I’m so grateful as I’ve learned so much about myself, about business, what I enjoy, my strengths and weaknesses and overall what I value in my life.”
Bines also closed down her Ashy Bines Transformation Centre gym in the Gold Coast after six years in 2020.
In 2013, Bines bought a six-bedroom, four-bathroom waterfront Broadbeach house in Queensland for $1.95 million. She sold it for $2.2 million in 2020.
In 2022, she and husband Steven Evans purchased a $1.85 million home on the Gold Coast. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms and is located only 5kms from the city.
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Originally published as Australia’s biggest activewear moguls
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