PE Nation's Sustainable Event Design at Australian Fashion Week

The Brief 

PE Nation, led by creative director Pip Edwards, aimed to create a stunning “chrome grandstand” for its appearance at Australian Fashion Week 2024. This eye-catching setup was designed to launch the new “Re/Creation collection” while staying true to the brand’s environmental commitment. As a proud B-Corp, PE Nation upholds top-tier social and environmental standards, making this launch both stylish and responsible.

The Solution

By using Reboard as the substrate, we created a fully recyclable “spectator-like arena arrangement,” simulating a fashion stadium. This setup is not only easy to transport and install but also allows for a quick teardown, complete with recycling services.

Sustainability in Numbers 

Typically, similar pillars would be constructed using MDF, which not only adds significant weight but also increases carbon emissions. However, in partnership with P.E. Nation, Next Printing transitioned from MDF to Reboard. This switch remarkably eliminated 1,045 kg of greenhouse gases.

To put this into perspective, the reduction in emissions is equivalent to the distance a standard petrol car in Australia would travel over 4,500 km, or the energy consumption of an average Australian home for 22 days.

These figures are derived from a comprehensive lifecycle analysis, which encompasses everything from tree planting and material production to global shipping, delivery to Next Printing’s warehouse, production emissions using Next Printing’s efficient methods, and all transportation, recycling, and landfill disposal emissions.

The Execution

Collaborating with the talented teams at Studio Messa & PE Nation, our industrial designers and production staff crafted 20 stunning, freestanding monolithic pillars with a reflective chrome-like finish. Each pillar, measuring 1 meter wide by 3 meters tall, created a breathtaking backdrop for an unforgettable runway experience for all attendees.

The Takeaway 

We had an incredible time collaborating with Studio Messa & PE Nation on this thrilling project, making it one of the highlights of this year’s Australian Fashion Week at Carriage Works in Eveleigh, NSW. We not only met their budget and environmental goals but also crafted an unforgettable experience to showcase the relaunch of the PE Nation brand.