Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning athleisure brand becomes first Aussie label to partner with H&M

Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning achieved the “unexpected” in an Australia-first deal, just four years after launching their multimillion-dollar brand.

When you start your own business you never really expect it to go global within four years of launching.

But that’s exactly what happened to Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning’s activewear label P.E. Nation.

The designers have managed to become the first ever Australian brand to partner with H&M after signing a contract with the global Swedish retailer.

“It all started back in May when H&M emailed our customer service team saying that they wanted to have a chat and talk about a collaboration and Pip and I were just in shock,” Tregoning told news.com.au

After a few back and forth calls, H&M made an offer they couldn’t refuse — to create a collection exclusively for the store and be the first Aussie brand to do so.

“It’s exciting for Australian fashion — now people will start to look our way a bit more,” Edwards said.

Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning are the co-creators of P.E. Nation. Picture: Instagram/PipEdwards

The brand joins powerhouse labels like Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney and Balmain which have all collaborated with the retail giant.

“We’re part of that amazing designer portfolio now … that’s a pretty proud moment,” Edwards said.

P.E. Nation is also available through more than 250 retailers globally (including Nordstrom and Bandier, as well as e-commerce sites like Shopbop, Net-A-Porter and Revolve), in addition to its own e-commerce site.

But to be featured in H&M both in-store and online, isn’t something the duo ever expected — not this quickly anyway.

“I don’t think you can ever plan for anything like this,” Tregoning said. “The most you can hope for is a few people to like your brand,” she said laughing. “You never plan for this and certainly not a global venture.”

The collection, which launches in 4500 H&M stores globally and online on March 5, includes 30 pieces plus accessories with the P.E. Nation signature logos, colour-blocking and fashion-meets-functionality.

Edwards said H&M were ramping up their activewear and P.E. Nation ticked a lot of boxes for them.

The pairs’ label is the first in Australia to partner with H&M. Picture: Instagram/PipEdwards

RISE TO SUCCESS OF P.E. NATION — ‘PHYSICAL EDUCATION’

But just how did the best friends catapult into the Australian fashion market so fast and garner such a massive global following?

You can thank their expertise in the fashion industry, from General Pants to Ksubi and even Edwards’ stint at PricewaterhouseCoopers in risk management.

The pair met while working at Australian label Sass & Bide. While Tregoning “went to go have babies”, Edwards was working at General Pants and had a “light bulb moment”.

“And within a year from concept to market, we launched the brand in 2016,” Edwards said.

The now multimillion-dollar brand was created after the pair struggled to find what they wanted in athletic wear — great colours, strong shapes but most of all, something design-led.

They have since made a real point of their designs being high-end but also functional.

They have created a collection exclusively for the retailer including 30 pieces plus accessories with the P.E. Nation signature logos, colour-blocking and fashion-meets-functionality.

The brand has an energetic vibe with pieces inspired by urban living and the ‘90s which instantly created a buzz within the fashion world and of course Instagram, which accounts for half its sales.

They wanted to create something that really resonated with people and for them P.E. Nation — meaning ‘physical education’ is reflective of strong, powerful women.

While every new business is a risk, the women had zero fear launching the brand.

“Our working experiences are extensive and not in an arrogant way but we have worked with businesses that have exceeded and businesses that have failed and we understand structure,” Edwards said. “It came second nature to us. It wasn’t a fear but more like ‘we have got nothing to lose so let’s just go for it’,” Tregoning added.

Of course like any start-up, P.E. Nation faced hurdles but the women persevered until they found balance.

“The fast pace of the business wasn’t something we were expecting,” Tregoning said. “Start-ups are all hands on decks and you can have band-aid solutions in place or start to hire quickly because you’re trying to keep up with the demand.

“But then suddenly you’re like ‘s**t, we actually really need to structure this’ and to this day we are still learning.”

Once their brand hits H&M stores, Tregoning predicts it’s going to be all hands on deck again, with new sets of obstacles and challenges ahead.

And while they still dabble in every part of the business, from logistics to finance, sales and marketing and design, the duo who have three kids between them, have decided to take a step back to focus on family.

Now they have a better structure in place, they can also use the extra time to do what they love — fitness, in particular pilates.

After all, P.E. Nation was created for active, busy women who are juggling a few things at a time.

“There’s an energy you can see and feel and you know that it is real women behind the brand doing it,” Edwards said.

“It’s not smoke or mirrors. It comes down to the energy of our clothes, our communication. I honestly believe women can look at the brand and say ‘I can relate to that’.”

P.E. Nation clothing, swimwear and accessories will be available for four weeks in H&M stores and will be priced from about $15 for tanks and up to $90 for the spray jacket.