Pip Edwards isn’t the only one with a new man to show off.
Just weeks ago, the P.E Nation co-founder debuted her boyfriend Joshua Clapp during a sun-soaked outing at Camp Cove.
And on Monday morning, her former business partner Claire Greaves – with whom she launched the trendy activewear label in 2016 – pulled off a similar ‘hard launch’ at Avalon Beach.
Claire, whose 11-year marriage to cinematographer Tim Tregoning ended quietly in mid-2022, was spotted cosying up to mixologist and bar tsar Matt Whiley.
And it wouldn’t be a Sydney society story without a little intrigue…
Matt has a surprising connection to Claire’s former friend and business partner Pip, who last year parted ways with P.E Nation and returned to Ksubi as creative director.
Pip Edwards’ P.E Nation co-founder Claire Greaves (right) was spotted cosying up to a new man on Monday, after her split from ex-husband Tim Tregoning
Claire and Matt Whiley, an award-winning hospitality guru, went for a dip at Avalon Beach
The entrepreneur stripped down to a conservative-cut white bikini which sat high on her waist
Pip Edwards (left) debuted her latest squeeze, Joshua Clapp (right), at Camp Cove last month
As the couple arrived at the beach with green towels slung over their shoulders, Claire pulled a blue cap down low over her face, hiding her eyes behind a pair of dark shades.
The entrepreneur then stripped down to a conservative-cut white bikini which sat high on her waist, before she and Matt, an award-winning cocktail maker, headed into the ocean for a swim.
Matt is best known for his sustainability-focused bar Re in Sydney.
Also the creator of the boutique gin company Wolf’s Nose, he has positioned himself as a nightlife pillar, co-founding seven award-winning bars in Sydney and London.
While Claire has distanced herself from her old friend Pip since their falling-out, they remain connected through their respective new partners, which may lead to some awkwardness down the track.
You see, Matt is friends with Joshua, Pip’s latest squeeze. The two men are both big names in the hospitality game, with Josh owning the construction and design firm Steel and Stitch, which is behind several high-profile Sydney venues.
As recently as last year, Joshua designed Matt’s temporary Little Cooler bar, which he opened in the basement of a building set to be demolished in just a few years.
Claire and Matt headed into the ocean for a swim
As the couple arrived at the beach with green towels slung over their shoulders, Claire pulled a blue cap down low over her face, hiding her eyes behind a pair of dark shades
While Claire has distanced herself from Pip since their falling-out, they remain connected through their respective new partners, which may lead to some awkwardness down the track
There was a professional rift between Pip and Claire last year which saw the end of one of the Australian fashion industry’s most lucrative and enduring partnerships.
Claire co-founded P.E Nation with Pip, and the athleisure brand beloved by eastern suburbs yummy mummies went on to make them multimillionaires. But Claire stepped down from her day-to-day role at the label in March last year.
At the time, P.E Nation said in a statement she would be ‘pursuing other creative endeavours’ and taking her career in a new direction.
Claire and Pip were then hit by rumours of a falling-out, and Pip later wiped all traces of Claire from P.E Nation’s social media in a seemingly telling move, erasing years of posts promoting the sportswear brand.
Pip took over as the sole creative director after Claire’s exit and gave the brand an overhaul and relaunch, but she later confirmed she too was stepping down.
In August, Pip announced she was also taking a ‘step back’ and would no longer hold the creative director position that she took over following Claire’s exit. The following month, in September, she returned to streetwear label Ksubi – the brand where she first made her name in the Noughties – as its creative director.
While neither woman has revealed the reason why they went their separate ways, Pip said in June last year that Claire ‘was the product one’ in their business partnership.
Matt is friends with Joshua Clapp, Pip’s new boyfriend
The two men are both big names in the hospitality game, with Josh owning the construction and design firm Steel and Stitch, which is behind several high-profile Sydney venues
‘In P.E. Nation with my business partner – she was the product one. She was an amazing designer and I was more the marketing side of things,’ she said on the Kyle and Jackie O Show at the time.
Pip went on to say she had fond memories of working with her former partner and praised Claire for being an ‘amazing designer’.
Before her business partnership came to an end, Claire separated from her husband Tim in mid-2022, although they would not announce it until January the next year.
‘It is very amicable, we still love each other, we are co-parenting and he remains a great friend,’ she said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Things change and that’s just what happened for us, but we are getting through that with a lot of respect and support for each other.’
Claire and Pip (pictured together) co-founded athleisure label P.E Nation in 2016, but they both went their separate ways and ‘stepped away’ from the company last year
Claire was previously married to cinematographer Tim Tregoning (centre right)
