Welcome To The Nation...Pip

SHE’S A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND WORKOUT WARDROBES NATIONWIDE. PIP EDWARDS TALKS WORLD DOMINATION, THE ‘NEW FEMINISM’ AND THE POWER OF PILATES.

- Alex Davies

 You’d be forgiven for thinking P.E Nation had been on the activewear scene for a decade. In only two years (yep, it launched in 2016), the cult Australian label has seen more action than many brands ever do: legions of fans including Kayla Itsines; denim and menswear collections on top of the sportsluxe-with-an-urban-edge gear it’s known for; two collaborations with Reebok (the first sold out in six hours); and not to mention the coveted 2018 National Designer Award. But, this success is no surprise when you consider the drive and passion of the woman at the helm, Pip Edwards. Since co-founding P.E Nation with Claire Tregoning (the friends met while working at label sass & bide), Pip’s consolidated her place as one of the most influential Aussies in the fashion-meets-fitness space. There are snippets of her life on Instagram – the events, workouts, clothes, beach days with son Justice, 12 – but behind the photos is a woman who’s been through as much of a journey as the brand she lives and breathes.

More on that in a moment, but first, let’s talk tattoos. Pip has nine. The first was Justice’s name on her right foot. There’s a rose on her arm for her grandmother, a star on her ankle because she loves stars and, among the rest, the line ‘This must be the place’ – the name of a Talking Heads song that reminds her of Justice – written on her left arm.

These arms were a major talking point at our photoshoot with Pip, 38, at Sydney’s Paramount Recreation Club. If there was ever an ad for pilates, her arms would be it. But her non-negotiable thrice-weekly sessions are about much more than honing a hot bod. “I’d love to do [pilates] more,” she says, holding a mug of licorice tea as we chat at P.E Nation HQ the day after our shoot. “When I don’t do it, I feel that I’ve not done it and the wheels fall off.”