You may have heard this unfortunate story, Lauren Ferrier a young Melbourne artist was left heartbroken after her portrait of Pip Edwards for the prestigious Archibald Prize was essentially rejected by staff at P.E Nation because it made 40 year old Pip Edwards look “much older beyond her years”. The saga exposed the narcissism and morally questionable ways a so called prominent business person and her fashion team work.
Pip Edwards Bondi Socialite, girlfriend of Michael Clarke, PE Nation Founder, champion of empowering women, did what?
Normally I wouldn’t spend a minute commenting over another petty Instagram influencer drama. I don’t think the people who spend their lives obsessing about the way they look in their filter/effects enhanced stream of stupid phone ‘Selfies’ warrant any more of the attention they so crave.
Similarly I try and avoid the media pollution that are all things Kardashian, MAFS, Donald Trump, and pretty much all those ‘influencers’ who crave attention like malignant spoilt children. Just because they have lots of ‘followers’ doesn’t mean I am happy that they can shove their unwanted images and headlines in my newsfeeds.
Did I mention I hate bullies? When I see someone in a position of superior power and influence bully someone in a more vulnerable position, out of what they have worked hard and fairly for, it doesn’t sit right with me.
So the bullies, aka ‘famous Instagram Influencers’ would probably consider me a troll for speaking out. Like Donald Trump these types can only accept blind adoration, and if someone stands against them and points out the truth about a questionable act or an ugly aspect as to who they are, they tend to go ballistic, and cry that they have been unfairly wounded.
Maybe they never heard the bible proverb, “Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword”. Which loosely translated means if you do something douchey don’t freak out when you are called on it over social and other media.
Pip Edwards and her brand PE Nation is supposedly about inner beauty and empowering young women to aim higher. Maybe Pip Edwards, Louise Gaffkin and the PE Nation team should take their own advice. I say they should take the criticism, apologise to Lauren Ferrier, fess up to their poor form and own it, and say they will learn from their errors and try and do better in future.
The Pip Edwards Archibald saga is a cautionary tale. When Donna Karan famously spoke out in support of Harvey Weinstein as the #METOO movement was raging, this blunder wiped out her business virtually overnight. A brand’s glowing image is a fragile thing, and once shattered cannot be put back together.
Lauren Ferrier, 25, first approached Edwards over Instagram last September about the painting.
“I was a long time fan of hers, thought she was amazing – a single mum, a career woman,” Ferrier told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “And she pretty much got back to me straight away.”
Edwards told Ferrier that she would be honoured to sit for the painting. The pair ended up meeting in person in Melbourne around a month and a half later.
“Everything went so, so well, but I forgot to bring the form,” Ferrier said. The signed form, or the sitter’s statement, must be presented with the portrait to the Art Gallery of NSW, in line with the Archibald’s entry conditions. It proves that a subject sat for the artist in person, and without it, a painting cannot be entered.
Edwards told Ferrier to email her the form, which she did upon completing the portrait 10 months later.
According to emails, viewed by P.TV, P.E Nation’s global public relations manager, Louise Gaffikin, replied to Ferrier asking to see the portrait first instead.
“Pip just needs visibility on the image first,” Gaffikin wrote in an email dated 27 July, 2020.
Ferrier told Gaffikin that this wasn’t the usual practice between artist and sitter, but sent an image of the portrait to her anyway.
Gaffikin replied to Ferrier via email on 30 July, saying the portrait made Pip look “much older” than her age and she would not be signing the form.
“Thank you so much for sending through the imagery, I am sure you have been working hard on getting this together,” Gaffikin wrote. “Which makes this email hard to send, however to be transparent and honest, we won’t be able to sign the consent form for the image to be put forward, having worked so closely with Pip over the past 3 years, I just know she will not align with the imagery.
“I have to be honest and say she looks much older beyond her years in this photo. I don’t think she could resonate with this painting and having it being put to the public.”
Gaffikin suggested that Ferrier come up with a “solution”, perhaps a portrait “with a more youthful feel.”
“Happy to send updated portrait imagery of Pip to reference,” she said. Gaffikin also asked Ferrier to delete the portrait from her Instagram.
I don’t know the facts here, but it all sounds very tawdry.
Maybe Louise Gaffkin or Pip should have told the artist up front that Edwards the 40 year old mother required all images of her to look like she was a dewy 17 year old. But they didn’t.
And just to prove that this might not be an isolated vanity incident, my film business made 5 special short films on some of the designer’s journeys to MBFW 2019. AJE, 10 Pieces, Double Rainbouu, Akira and PE Nation.
You can see our PE Nation MBFW 2019 film here.
PE-Nation
10 PIECES
AJE
DOUBLE RAINBOUU
AKIRA ISOGAWA
Our Crew worked directly with PE Nation designers Pip Edwards and Claire Tregoning. We had a crew of 6 who attended multiple shoot days to create, shoot and edit the special short film. We funded the whole production, and we even threw a special Rooftop Premiere event for the films, complete with sponsors. We even changed the date of this twice to accommodate Pip and the PE team.
In the end Pip and Claire didn’t even bother to show. No reason, no message, nothing. We saw later on Instagram that Pip instead went to have dinner with Kate Bosworth at Icebergs. All the other designers and their teams attended, were most appreciative of our efforts and loved the films. Not one person from PE Nation attended. And apart from sending the email above have not spoken about this ever again.
Maybe Louise Gaffkin and Pip decided our film made Pip look ‘old beyond her years’. Who knows, as no one bothered to tell us.
‘To be transparent and honest’ I don’t think Lauren Ferrier or FIB will be in any hurry to work with Pip Edwards and PE Nation again.
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