How Michael Clarke and Pip Edwards have built a $50M fortune with the P.E. Nation brand, HUGE sponsorship deals and a property empire - and the power couple are just getting started
Cricket great Michael 'Pup' Clarke stopped hitting sixes years ago, but in social and business terms, his steamy romance with fashion sensation Pip Edwards could be his best partnership ever.
The World Cup-winning captain and activewear mogul Edwards have quickly become one of Australia's most glamorous power couples since hooking up in late 2019.
Their very public relationship looks as smart a business and social move as it is a tantalising romantic one.
They combine looks, profile, glamour, expensive toys, business and marketing savvy, wealth and family into a potent package.
'With Pip and Michael one plus one equals five,' celebrity publicist Max Markson told Daily Mail Australia.
Clarke and Edwards have amassed a combined fortune estimated at more than $50million, which Markson predicts will skyrocket based on their booming business interests and public appeal.
Underpinning all of it is their social media strategy, which are nothing short of textbook lessons in successful self-promotion.
Glamour power couple Michael Clarke and Pip Edwards are on the rise because both possess brains and beauty in equal measure
If you've got it, flaunt it! Pip and Michael reclining on Sydney Harbour for yet another cruise - this time on his $197,000 luxury inflatable
Racing ahead: Pip Edwards and Michael Clarke are going places fast - they are pictured here at The Everest at Randwick Racecourse.
Clarke, 39, is worth at least $41million, according to the Australian Financial Review's Young Rich List for 2020 and is the wealthiest cricketer, with most of his wealth derived from astute property investments.
Edwards is an assured businesswoman also worth an estimated $10million, who fronts P.E. Nation, a cult 'athleisure' label worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Ivanka Trump - and is also seen on every second netball and soccer mum on a Saturday.
The couple are understood to have hooked up in 2019 after Clarke's marriage to Kyly Clarke ended. Pip and Michael were friends for a decade and he had consulted to P.E Nation.
The romance was thought to be a fling, until they were spotted holding hands at Rose Bay in June, 2020.
Seven months on they are on the cusp of even greater things in the business world as they rule Sydney's social scene with their looks and all-action, lavish lifestyle which they flaunt on social media.
In addition to his real estate holdings, Clarke is in demand to front brand campaigns, and has lucrative endorsements and sponsorships with high-end watch brand Hublot and luxury inflatable maker Ribco, whose boats have been called 'Lamborghinis on the water'.
Documents at the time of Clarke's divorce showed he owned three beachfront properties and had $18million in investments and savings.
In the settlement Kyly Clarke kept their $12million five bedroom home at Vaucluse, while soon after Michael sold his Bondi apartment for $7.2million.
The couple are understood to have hooked up in 2019 after Clarke's marriage to Kyly Clarke ended
Kyly and Michael Clarke on their wedding day in 2012 in the Blue Mountains
All Kyly's now: Prior to their divorce, the Clarkes shared a $8 million Vaucluse mansion
Bondi stunner: the view from Michael Clarke's former waterfront apartment, sold for $7.2 million
Former Australian cricket captain and Michael Clarke and model fiance Lara Bingle were often in the limelight
While it's been a long time since Clarke held centre stage as a cricketer, he's stayed in the spotlight, gracing the cover of GQ magazine four times - more than any other Australian man.
Markson insisted Clarke remains a superstar, and for anyone wanting him as a brand ambassador, the starting price would be 'a million dollars, probably $250,000 a year over a four year contract'.
'He's good looking, he's got good character and he's a nice man,' Markson said.
Model man, but no love rat
Clarke's profile is helped because he's dated a string of stunning models: Lara Bingle, Kyly Clarke (nee Boldy) and now Edwards.
Clarke and Edwards are understood to have been friends for 12 years before hooking up after he split with his wife Kyly in September 2019.
He's had the girls every man wants, but Markson says the fact Clarke isn't tarnished as a love-rat has helped his profile 'big time': 'He's a reputable, respected person and I know he's a nice guy.'
Since he started dating Edwards in early 2020, Clarke's popularity has gone to a new level.
He even cracked the top 100 Australian Instagram accounts in 2020 - not bad for a man fresh out of a divorce who retired from his chosen sport five years earlier.
Michael Clarke and Pip Edwards are masters of the social media post, regularly flaunting their looks, bodies and lavish lifestyles
Pip Edwards and girlfriends show off their assets in a selfie on the harbour
A man apart from an elite club
Clarke's place among the cricket greats is assured as a player, but even when he played it was rumoured he was more at home in the Sydney socialite scene than with players.
So it's not a great surprise he isn't regarded in the inner circle of ex-players and captains when it comes to commentary contracts.
Markson said Australian cricket captains are always hot property in marketing, but Clarke's looks and cool factor lift him above even the likes of greats like Steve Waugh and Alan Border.
'Michael has looked after his money, he's aspirational coming from the western suburbs of Sydney.'
'Michael is up-market now. He will still be a hot talent to endorse and promote any brand 20 years from now.'
'The Hublot contract tells you everything. You know who else Hublot chose? Pele and Floyd Mayweather, the very best. Michael Clarke is a serious talent.'
Pup & Pip: What are they REALLY worth?
Combined net worth:
Estimated at $50 million+
Value of their toys:
Warren superyacht (Ghost 1) $15m
Pip Edwards runs a photoshoot on Michael Clarke's 87 foot Warren superyacht Ghost 1
Ribco 28ST boat $197,500
Genesis GV80 (luxury SUV): $90,000+
Harley Davidson $30-$45k
Hublot watch $5-$20k
Mercedes C-class Cabriolet $90k+
Pup's brand ambassadorships/ endorsements/contracts include:
Ribco luxury inflatables
Michael Clarke at the wheel of his $197,500 Ribco 2ST rigid inflatable boat on Sydney Harbour
Genesis luxury SUV
Hublot high end watches
Wagner vitamins/Chemist Warehouse
Family Zone cyber security
Respiri asthma app
Sportshero app
Sky Sports Radio (Big Sports Breakfast)
Australian Pain Management Association
Speaker gigs with ICMI, Saxton, Athletespeakers
His former contracts included:
Oral B toothbrushes
Global Tech
Spartan bats
Channel Nine (Australian commentary)
Sony/Star sports (Indian and IPL commentary)
The power of Pip
Edwards is the former St Ives girl who found her niche in Bondi, cutting her teeth in Eastern Suburbs fashion houses and broke free in 2016, co-founding P.E. Nation with Claire Tregoning.
The label turned over $20million in revenue in 2018-19.
P.E. Nation doubled its revenue in each of the past three years and could match that pace again, especially now its clothing is worn by A-listers including Kylie Jenner, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, Margot Robbie, Ivanka Trump, Cara Delevingne and Jessica Alba.
Edwards began as a designer with sass n bide, General Pants and Ksubi - where she met ex Dan Single, the father of her son, Justice - and was made a contributing fashion editor at Cleo in 2009.
Fast forward to today and even at 40, Edwards can still model for her own label. She still loves to strike a pose on her popular Instagram account, where she has 172,000 followers.
She once said of her glamorous Instagram account: 'If you like it, great; if you don’t, f*** off.'
Pip Edwards, P.E. Nation founder, strikes a typical pose beside her soft-top Mercedes Benz
Pip says her Bondi apartment, punctuated with quirky furnishings, colourful furniture and expensive artworks, is a reflection of her creative aesthetic
No doubt her high profile influenced an aspiring artist to paint her for the Archibald Prize - though Edwards controversially rejected the finished product.
Edwards doesn't have Clarke's profile to qualify as a brand ambassador in her own right, yet, it could still happen for the successful fashionista as she lives a lifestyle beyond most of us.
She drives a late model Mercedes Convertible and has a swanky Bondi apartment adorned with expensive artworks.
Markson said Edwards has earned everything she has.
'Nothing happens overnight. Pip was savvy 10 years ago, she understands clothing and branding inside out,' he said.
'One plus one equals five'
Markson said Clarke and Edwards are impressive enough as individuals but together are a serious force to be reckoned with.
'With them one-plus-one equals five,' he said.
'They give each other the wisdom of their experience and the benefit of each other's profile. Two hot properties together if they have profile become much more than the sum of their parts.'
The couple expertly use their social media platforms, especially Instagram, to flaunt their giddy, all-action, lovebird lifestyle.
Hot power couple Edwards and Clarke ended 2020 the way they started: in cool selfie mode
Barely a scratch: Clarke on his pristine Harley Davidson (pictured above), personalised with his squad number (23) from the Australian test cricket team
Pip Edwards obviously fancies some Harley Davidson action for herself
Social media mastery
The couple clearly connect at the Sydney-iest of levels: their mastery of the social media post.
Clarke's dizzying array of endorsements and toys - from his luxury super yachts to his Ribco inflatable boats worth $200,000, to his pristine matte black Harley Davidson personalised with his test squad number - allows the couple to flaunt the kind of lifestyle that makes everyone else drool.
But that's not all. Clarke and Edwards also serve up cool glamour shots of black tie photoshoots, various scenes with surf, sun and sand, plus strenuous workout scenes and healthy eating snaps - all to emphasise their wellbeing cred.
Then there are the adorable candid snaps of the entrepreneurs making time to be devoted parents. Both regularly feature their children in their Instagram posts.
Michael Clarke and Pip Edward pose in front of friends on his Ghost 1 superyacht to celebrate his Order of Australia medal
Edwards is mother to a 13 year old boy, Justice Maximus, from her previous relationship with former Tsubi designer Dan Single.
Clarke has a five year old daughter, Kelsey Lee, from his marriage to Kyly Clarke.
The standing and fortunes being acquired by Clarke and Edwards are only good news for Justice Edwards and Kelsey Lee Clarke, who look set to grow up in luxury.
Clarke and Edwards are a powerhouse in business and the social scene and only seem set to grow more popular and richer as long as they remain an item.
'I hope they do get more successful and richer,' Markson said.
'The more successful they are, the more tax they'll pay for Australia.'
Clarke is an ambassador for many luxury brands, including Hyundai's high-end Genesis SUV , worth $90,000-plus