Pip Edwards on the next chapter for P.E Nation
She’s now the singular driving force behind the powerhouse athleisure brand. But Pip Edwards is undaunted by the challenge and is ready to abandon clashing colours, prints and logo-laden designs.
Fashion entrepreneur Pip Edwards is accustomed to being in the spotlight. She skilfully positioned herself there via a consistent work ethic, cleverly curated social media presence and the savvy promotion of her label P.E Nation.
But the glare of that publicity has been building in recent months, with news breaking that her eight-year joint management of the cult athleisure brand she co-founded with Claire Greaves (formerly Tregoning) had come to an end. The infamous late-night Noosa rant by famous ex-boyfriend, former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, also added to the interest and intrigue. Edwards responded to that in the most dignified way possible – by elegantly distancing herself – but speculation swirled for several months that all was not seamless at P.E Nation.
The dynamic design duo finally confirmed in March that Greaves was stepping away from everyday management of the business. She will remain on the board, but Edwards has taken over as sole creative director.
The shake-up coincides with a new elevated vision for the brand which Edwards is excited to unveil at Australian Fashion Week this month, in what she says is a “beautiful evolution”.
“Our eight years of existence has been a crazy turbo whirlwind and now we’ve really stepped back and taken on a more considered approach to where we want to take this and drive the business again,” she says.
“We’ve done a lot of work in the background. There’s an amazing set of experience and skills in the business, and we took stock of where we were as a brand, how quickly we’d grown and where we resonated, and we took all the information and did a lot of research.”
Edwards admits the new look may shock some P.E Nation devotees, but it is a reflection of “changing times and lifestyles”.
“It’s more of a refined way of looking at fashion active. It’s tonal and tonal blocking, it’s not clashing, it’s not as logo-driven, there are no prints. It’s still keeping the energy in how you wear the brand, that confidence it gives you to get on with your day, but in a more seamless, elevated way,” she says.
“We basically had to do a full colour-palette cleanse so that the rebrand and relaunch that you’ll see is a full cleanse, which will be quite a shock [compared with] the P.E Nation that you know. Our fabrications are very luxe, our silhouettes are luxe, but it’s anchored in active.”
P.E Nation’s fashion week presentation, which heralds the official launch of the new look, will be pared back but still high on impact.
“I think fashion week is perfect timing for us to be launching the new creative direction. That’s where the brand launched in 2016, so it makes sense to relaunch with a solo show again,” Edwards says.
“We have all hands on deck. There are so many elements that go into the show and especially because we’re entering this new phase, the thought processes and the consideration and the scale of what we’re doing; it is so important to get this right.
“I want an element of a surprise, but I will tell you it will be first and foremost an experience. And I mean that as a physical experience. The set and the production is a visual palate cleanser. Think a bit minimalist, a stripped-back colour palette, think modern, but with a clear nod to our roots. It’s a sophisticated, fashion-led active presentation, but not like the P.E Nation you know.”
Edwards admits to more nerves than normal in the lead up to her first fashion week foray as the sole creative director for the coveted and, as of March, B Corp-certified brand.
“One hundred per cent, yes. I have to be honest there. Of course, I am. But you know, that’s what keeps you excited. That’s what motivates you to do better. I’m leaning into the fear. The fear is where the magic comes from.”
At 44, and a single mother to 17-year-old son Justice, (with former partner, ksubi founder Dan Single,) Edwards is becoming more circumspect and open to slowing down in some aspects of her life.
“I think what I’ve learned now, eight years down the track, is that I never took stock along the way. And now, the only way to really cope mentally, emotionally, physically is to find time, carve out time to sit still and make balance. So that’s kind of where I’m at,” she says.
“I’m trying to find that level of balance because sometimes when you’re on the job, like
me, 24/7, and it doesn’t stop when I come home, and it doesn’t stop on the weekend, and it’s really around the clock, then the only way to go forwards is to almost stop. And I never realised that until recently.”
That doesn’t mean the brakes have been fully engaged; her daily demands often exceed what some business owners achieve in a week.
“If people actually knew what my day-to-day in the office was. Instagram makes it look easy. There are meetings, finance forecasts, board meetings, shareholder meetings, executive meetings, product design, marketing, sales, digital, I’m across all touch points. There is not one thing I’m not across. I literally have to ask to go to the toilet,” Edwards jokes.
Her drive, determination and inspiration come from a deep desire to continually keep experiencing, learning and embracing change.
“What inspires me is people, travel, cities. I’m such an adventurer of curious nature. I need to be immersed and surrounded and inspired that way. It’s about how I feel, what I see and smell. I’m super observant,” Edwards says.
“I never really say no. I can throw myself into unpredictable situations, which I love.
That curiosity will forever drive me forward. And I’ll never, ever not be inspired because I love my natural landscape. I love things that to most people would look common, and I kind of see them through a different lens.
“What brings me peace might still be someone else’s turbo. I’m obviously a big beach girl, love that coastal living, swimming, the ocean, seeing the horizon, just being mindful of the landscape and how small I am in comparison with the world we live in.
“That’s a really important daily routine of mine. I’ve taken up sailing. I do a lot more recreational things that aren’t so exercise-driven, but I’m more just keeping my body moving and my brain inspired. And obviously, I love watching my son play basketball; that’s a really great way of switching off.”
Edwards says ageing doesn’t bother her, but dating in her forties is not without its challenges. “That’s a tough one. Who’s got time? I’ve got more important things on my list,” she says. “Ageing doesn’t bother me at all. I love it. It’s almost my energy is ageing in reverse. That’s how I feel.”
P.E Nation, with more than 150 stockists worldwide and a Sydney flagship boutique, has customers spanning from teenagers to octogenarians (Edwards’s own mother Gloria, 80, loves sporting pieces from the latest collections), and the designer is confident the new direction will resonate with even more people. “It’s quite a hard thing to achieve for a brand but I think when the essence is there, and I think when you’re all about being in motion and movement and active and fashion, that transcends age,” Edwards says.
Her son Justice is becoming an increasing source of information and inspiration, too.
“He is definitely giving me great insights to the elusive Gen Z perspective, which is quite interesting. I set him little tasks, like even this morning, I said to him, ‘I just want three things that are trending on TikTok’. It’s my little way to tap into what’s going on in that generation because it’s really hard to keep up.”
Preparations are in full swing for the May 14 show, and while Edwards’s focus is firmly
on runway success, it would mean nothing without her greatest supporters sitting front row. “My mum, my dad and my son will be sitting front row, they deserve it. It’s their journey, too.”
This story is from the May issue of WISH.
