So when uber-cool designer Pip Edwards decided active wear was the next universal trend, the world took notice.

The athleisure wear label she created with former sass & bide designer Claire Tregoning, P.E Nation, is sweeping the globe with people such as Elle Macpherson, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner wearing it.

Edwards is the first to admit she owes it all to Bondi.

“I love Bondi. It is my home. I’ve never not been in Bondi — it’s given me my personality, my edge and that laid-back approach,” she says while rushing around Carriageworks for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.

She is doing last-minute prep on her menswear collection, which shows tomorrow at 10am. Again she’s ahead of the trend.

“We are part of the active group show,” she says.

“We’ve always had men buying the brand as the women’s wear is quite tomboyish. We were getting asked every day for it, so we took the plunge.

“It’s a hard game — their psychology of shopping is different to women and it’s a really interesting category to dissect. We’re transitioning.”

The initial concept for P.E Nation was simple. As a working mum — Edwards has Justice Maximus, 12, with former partner Dan Single of another legendary Bondi label, Ksubi (formerly Tsubi) — she found it difficult to go about her day with ease.

“Claire and I were working mums and working in fashion, we love street style and we’re tomboys. We love to train and we had nothing to wear which could get us through our day and tick everything off on the to-do list that was functional, comfortable and fashion approved,” she says. “So now we go the gym and go to work and we don’t necessarily look like it. We’ve just translated it into everyday wear.

“While my mother always taught me to dress for the occasion — at this point in time I juggle so much in one day that comfort comes first. I think I’ve almost forgotten how to walk in high heels.”

Launching at MBFWA in 2016, P.E nation has grown 20 times faster than forecasts. With 200 stockists globally, their US market has surpassed Australia.

“It blows me away every day. It’s something I wanted and needed in my life and I knew other women would be the same. But I didn’t think the uptake would be so quick and the support so loyal and hard core.”

At last week’s Mother’s Day Morning Tea at her son’s school there were women dressed in her label head-to-toe.

“I still pinch myself. It’s so weird, I get a little embarrassed. I do this weird fist pump when a big celebrity wears the clothes. But I get more excitement if I’m driving and see women walking down the road or doing the Bondi to Bronte — it’s awesome, like an underground sisterhood.”

Speaking of sisterhood — Edwards has found a “big sister” in Elle Macpherson, another poster girl for the athletic Australian beach lifestyle. Both are walking billboards for the brands they personify.

“She’s a really good mate and a big supporter of the brand,” Edwards says of Macpherson, who got in touch after falling in love with P.E Nation and Pip’s energy.

“We operate in that space of mutual respect and love. She’s a businesswoman, a great mentor in life. For someone I’ve grown up looking up to, I still pinch myself I can call her a friend. I’m an only child and she’s like a big sister. She’s phenomenal.”

The pair share an online health and wellbeing program, the 14-Day Reset.

“The two brands aligned perfectly ... Real women. Real mothers doing it their way. Elle and I, we personify it, we bring it to life. We’re both mothers, we’re both Australian with businesses and globally I go under her wing.”

Business was always in Edwards’ veins. She once worked for accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and studied commerce law.

Next up, Edwards is going back to her roots. She started as Single’s personal assistant at Ksubi, the Bondi brand famous for its jeans, and says denim is on the rise again. “It never dies. It’s an important part of the cycle. We have some pretty incredible collaborations lined up,” she says.

“The data from retailers is that Australia is leading the way. It’s the lifestyle we epitomise and that’s why its really exciting. That Australia has so much to offer — and being an ambassador for Australia is pretty incredible.”

And it all stems from Bondi.

“I just want everyone to love their life,” she says. “Enjoy it. Love what you are, how you wear things and live your lifestyle to the full.”