P.E Nation,founded by Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning in 2016,will also use the runway – an honour reportedly worth up to $300,000 – to launch the next phase of their business. It’s a full circle moment for the brand,which in 2018 won the festival’s National Designer Award for up-and-comers when it was less than two years old.
Using words like “evolution”,“step change” and “reposition”,Edwards was coy about what the future looks like for a brand that successfully rode the pandemic athleisure wave. But what she withholds in detail,she promises to make up for in excitement once March rolls around.
“We’re ready to disrupt the market again in a way that hasn’t been done before,” she says.
Edwards and Tregoning,who met while working at sass&bide,launched P.E Nation at a time when players such as Lululemon and Lorna Jane dominated the activewear market. Unlike legacy brands,which were dominated by black and tried-and-tested formulas,P.E Nation adopted a streetwear approach to activewear through designs that featured loud graphics,colour-blocking and typography.
“Over the years what sets us apart is our fashionability …[the runway] will still be relatable and real – not high fashion couture because that’s not what we are,but the way we style it will be very fashion forward,” Edwards says.
Edwards promises a few surprises for the runway,but don’t expect too many couture showpieces that veer too far from the essence of the brand,which has dabbled in menswear,denim and ski gear,with varying degrees of success.