P.E Nation are making major moves. The brand has opened their first standalone flagship store in Sydney, inside The Galeries in George Street. The space is lit up in classic P.E warm oranges with that feel good energy of founders and creative directors Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning. We spoke to the duo about reaching this milestone:

We’re so excited for you this is a major milestone. What has been the best part and the hardest part of the PE journey to this point? 

"The best part of the journey? That’s easy, it has been creating P.E Nation together. The hardest part of the journey has probably been our realisation that you can’t do everything all at once, that you have to take things one step at a time. Or at least two or three steps at a time, not ten."

Biggest lessons you’ve learned in the lead up to the opening? 

"It’s been incredibly exciting turning sketches and ideas into our first P.E Nation flagship store...the process has been less about lessons and more about discovery. We’ve discovered the power of creating and controlling the environment for our customers and working with brilliant designers like Kelvin Ho. The new P.E Nation store is all about giving our customers the chance to touch and feel the brand and its energy. We get to create a context for our collections, and to bring them all together...men’s and women’s, from Baseline thought to the more fashion-focused collections like Edit. You feel the energy the moment you step inside."

What are the best qualities you see in one another? 

Pip: "We basically balance, centre and temper each other. I can move at turbo speed, be high energy and drive the line either react or proact, and Claire has the most graceful calmness, clarity and knowing that is needed when passion is on the boil. We come from different lenses and skill-sets, however our vision is always one and the same and always land on the same page. Her expert knowledge of product married with personifying its purpose through bringing it life, makes the brand real, living and dynamic yet functional. We are the perfect harmony of product, commerciality and disruption. We both have the same keen eye for fashion and trends, yet have a regard for feasibility and are in sync when it comes to the story and the why, and its our vision together in unison that is the magic. Not one more than the other, its our harmony that makes the brand and pushes it forward."

Claire: "What she said lol 🧡. I admire Pip’s tenacity and energy for new experiences and the way she effortlessly connects with people."

Have other women supported you in the PE journey? 

"Absolutely, we’ve had mentors like Sarah-Jane Clarke, whom we worked with at sass & bide. The workplace that Heidi and Sarah-Jane built during that era was rare and taught us a lot about creating a supportive workplace where women and working mums can thrive, and we’ve tried to carry that forward. And our P.E Nation team is made up of incredible women who share our vision and make it happen every day. There’s too many to mention, but they know who they are!"

What advice would you give to fellow businesswomen? 

"Firstly, try to connect your career with what you love. It’s the most important thing. Secondly, arm yourself with the knowledge and skills you need, go the extra mile, read everything and immerse yourself in every aspect of your business. Thirdly, once you’ve done that, trust your gut when making decisions. And finally, work hard and remember the bottom line. Work should be fun, but in the end, it’s about creating success, whether it’s your own business or someone else’s."

How do you hope the PE Nation lovers feel inside the flagship store? 

"It’s bright, colourful, super-modern, high energy...a distillation of the essence of P.E Nation. We wanted to create a place to inspire and energise people. We’ve worked with some of our favourite people to create the space. Akin Atelier did the interiors, Trish Campbell has done a lighting installation and Clementine Maconachie has created these beautiful coloured totems for the store. The space is also very dynamic, there are LED’s everywhere to create a sense of movement, and the store can shapeshift, so it transforms from a retail space to a yoga studio or an art gallery."

Ultimate dream place for the next PE store? 

"For P.E Nation, it’s not about rolling out lots of stores. We’d love to have just a few great stores in great locations in the right cities around the world. Maybe L.A., New York, London, but we haven’t settled on where to next. Our focus is Sydney and we’re very immersed in that for the moment."

What’s to come next for PE Nation? 

"At P.E Nation, we’ve always been about riding with an opportunity. We now have 600 global stockists in 95 countries and 70 staff. We’ve been lucky to build an amazing business in Australia, and our two biggest export markets are the States and Europe. We’ve just opened an office in the U.S., and the expansion is happening in tandem in Europe. We’re also very focused on our sustainable ethos, and it goes across our ready-to-wear ranges, right through to the sustainable materials that were used for this new store. We call it our Conscious Nation, and it’s shaping everything that we do going forward."p

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