The reason why Pip Edwards really left her namesake fashion business, P.E Nation
The mum and creative director shares her need to reassess her life’s breakneck speed and why supporting Australia’s creative talent is more critical than ever.
This time last year, designer Pip Edwards was nervously anticipating the unveiling of a new look for her namesake label at Australian Fashion Week, something she described as a “beautiful evolution” for the brand.
Fast forward 12 months and she is undergoing her own transformation. One that has freed her from the shackles of a decade working at “500 per cent, 24/7” and the mental anguish she is only just now admitting to publicly.
Edwards has taken a step back in order to move forward, returning to cult denim brand Ksubi as creative director last September, the same place she kicked off her career in fashion almost 20 years ago.
“Not many people understand the pressure of building and running a business, but also creative, front-facing, product – all that stuff. It’s five jobs in one, and I didn’t stop. I gave that business 500 per cent of my life, and it was a 24/7 job, and you can only maintain that pace for so long. To be fair, I did have a couple of burnouts along the way. I’m just being honest here.
“It’s no disrespect to P.E – it was either that [stepping away] or saving myself, you know? Because how do you get off that hamster wheel? How do you stop what you’ve started? You can’t, so you have to cut loose and then restart in a way that works for me, my emotions, energy, spirit, all those things, and realign and reset the boundaries. Because at the end of the day, it’s funny P.E [Nation] being in wellness, [when] my health wasn’t well.”
Edwards is now in a position where she feels ready to address her unexpected departure from the brand she co-founded in 2016 just three months after its highly anticipated relaunch.
“I think it can be misinterpreted, and it can be prickly. But the honest truth is, it was for me as a human, a mother, and all these other things that people don’t see. I’m not superhuman, even though I was behaving like I was.”
The brand continues to hold a special place in her heart as a shareholder, though she does not sit on the board and is no longer involved in the daily operations.
To Edwards, the return to Ksubi feels right, like “putting on an old favourite pair of jeans. You just slip them on”.
At 45, the designer still buzzes with the energy and motivation of someone half her age. Her creativity, endless energy, ability to influence the zeitgeist and passion for pushing boundaries has helped propel her forward in every aspect of her life. And Edwards is bringing that Ksubi energy and experience to Australian Fashion Week (May 12-16), which is this year led by the Australian Fashion Council for the first time after IMG decided not to proceed with the event.
“Energy is ageless, right? Energy is curiosity, where you find inspiration, what you see, and how you view the world. I transcend time, and when it comes down to product, that’s experience, which requires maturity and business nuance. So [age] doesn’t bother me at all. It’s just that I am leaning more into those cultural movements, the music, and who’s relevant or upcoming, and that’s exciting because it’s inspiring,” Edwards says.
“I operate on multiple tangents simultaneously, which may appear chaotic. It appears like a hot mess, but that’s where I thrive.”
Edwards says now, more than ever, successful Australia designers need to stand together to keep the industry thriving. “If we remain static and stagnant, we go nowhere. My whole thing is that I need to be inspired. I can’t just do the inspiring; I need to be inspired. To inspire, I need to feel creative; to be creative, you know, it’s circular.”
Ksubi will host a “no show” after-party during Australian Fashion Week, expected to be the hottest tickets in town, in collaboration with Vogue, GQ and American Express. Prior to the party, Vogue will stage Vanguard collections featuring the next generation of talent, aligning with Edwards’s personal support for the future of Australian fashion.
“I think when things feel a bit uncertain, everyone just says, ‘Oh, we’ll wait and see what happens’. No, we will not wait and see. We will drive this. We will let everyone know that we’re here, and we’re here for the entire industry. We’ve got a big voice, and we come with a lot of weight,” she says.
“If you have a global brand, that can be the focus, but it’s also really wonderful to come home and honour your own backyard.”
Ksubi is famous for its provocative and disruptive Australian Fashion Week shows (who can forget the live rats on the runway in 2001?), and Edwards says the brand is returning at a time when local fashion needs a platform and voice.
“I think as a brand that is established, that has been known for making noise, being disruptive, being unexpected, and all those things, it is unexpected for us to be supporting other brands. And that’s the whole point.
“It is the community and the collective. Ksubi has been a great incubator for creativity. It’s in its DNA, from music, to pop culture, to artists – we have that level of depth and richness of creativity, making it natural for us to show up unexpectedly to support other brands.”
American Express marketing and membership experience vice president for Australia and New Zealand, Naysla Edwards (no relation), echoes this sentiment: “This event and partnership is a true testament and celebration of the phenomenal Australian fashion industry, while also providing a platform for the next generation of homegrown talent.”
Edwards shares an 18-year-old son, Justice, with her former partner and original Ksubi (then known as Tsubi) co-founder, Dan Single. He follows in his famous parents’ footsteps as a leader of the fashion pack and currently works in Ksubi’s store in Sydney’s Bondi Junction.
Justice has also proved a source of inspiration and ideas for Edwards as she enters this next chapter in her fashion evolution. “He loves it. He gets it. He understands the vibe. He knows how to dress. He talks the language. He’s so invested in American culture, particularly basketball and the music side of things, he’s actually my litmus test. The way he thinks and sees things aligns with our American target market. He’s been quite helpful in getting my head around what that looks like,” she says.
Her son finishing school and contemplating his own next steps was another contributing factor in Edwards’s decision to switch gears on her career. Change happens, like it or not.
“I compromised a lot to raise him on my own. And I’m so proud of who he is, what he’s accomplished, and what he’s achieved, but I’m so f***ing sad, you know? Just when they reach such a beautiful age, he’s finished school, and he’s such an epic human. He’s so divine,” she says.
“He’s about to live out his dream, which – again, sorry – can I just say, this has been a significant part of the behind-the-scenes dealings concerning change. There’s been a lot of change going on.”
This story is from the May issue of WISH.
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