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Royal Socialite Assault Case Takes Shocking Turn
Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia's most trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip before it makes the news.Stax of debt Fashio...
Stax of debt
Fashion entrepreneurs Don and Matilda Robertson, the husband-and-wife founders of the decidedly pedestrian activewear label Stax, have officially appointed liquidators as prospective buyers circle the once-thriving brand, with several indicative offers already on the table.
The announcement came last month, but I'd argue the writing had been on the wall for years.
I've interviewed the couple, attended their flashy fashion shows and watched them do the rounds of 's social scene. Personally, it felt as though the ambition was beginning to outpace the business itself.
Stax was, in many ways, the athleisure world's answer to Yeezy - minus the celebrity founder.
Fashion entrepreneurs Don and Matilda Robertson (pictured), the husband-and-wife founders of the decidedly pedestrian activewear label Stax, have officially appointed liquidators
It's a spectacular fall for a brand whose founders hit the AFR's Young Rich List four years ago
The worth of Stax peaked at about $52million, putting the couple on the 2022 Young Rich List
At its peak, the brand operated eight stores nationwide. Last year, six of them quietly disappeared as rising interest rates and tightening consumer spending caught up with the athleisure boom.
It's a spectacular fall for a brand whose founders landed on the AFR Young Rich List just four years ago.
As the money rolled in, so did the designer labels. The pair became the poster couple for Sydney's Instagram-rich set, seemingly never photographed without a luxury logo in sight.
Their rise wasn't always glamorous. In the early days, after the pair relocated from Perth to Sydney in 2019, Don was still digging himself out of debt after his first venture, Muscle Stax, collapsed.
In one extraordinary bid to keep the dream alive, he applied for 36 credit cards in a single week, obliterating his credit rating and leaving him effectively locked out of traditional bank finance.
This week, I did a deep dive into his business history, which shows him linked to a bewilderingly long list of companies and domain registrations.
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Many seem to be speculative ventures or URLs secured for a rainy day. Taken together, they paint a picture of someone constantly scouting for the next opportunity, rather than pursuing a single, clearly defined mission.
But that's just my opinion.
The pair became the poster couple for Sydney's Instagram-rich set, seemingly never photographed without a luxury logo in sight. (Matilda is pictured right with socialite Zoe Marshall, left, and singer Delta Goodrem, centre)
The activewear brand began in a Perth bedroom in 2015 and experienced a stratospheric rise over the next decade - but ultimately crumbled due to an overcrowded market
Double Bay's self-styled Russian royalty Yuliya Sharipova (left) was excused from appearing at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday in relation to a restraining order matter stemming from an alleged domestic incident involving her partner, logistics boss Aaron Powell (right)
She and Powell, who live together in Bellevue Hill, are understood to have a habit of breaking up and making up - if that wasn't already clear. (The on-off couple is pictured together)
Under the terms of the ADVO, Sharipova must not assault or threaten Powell, stalk, harass or intimidate him, damage his property, or harm any animal in his care.
She is also prohibited from approaching or being in the company of Powell within 12 hours of drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.
To be clear, I am not suggesting Sharipova has engaged in any of this conduct, only that these are the standard conditions imposed by the ADVO.
Despite the annulment, it would appear Sharipova's legal saga isn't over yet.
As mentioned, her matter was heard at court this week, and is next listed for hearing at Downing Centre on August 24 and 25, with a Russian interpreter required for day one.
During Wednesday's mention, I'm told the mother-of-one - known in Sydney's east for driving a garish lime-green Lamborghini - was sunning herself in Los Angeles, where she is believed to be staying at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel.
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I first reported the ADVO late last year, but can now reveal Sharipova (pictured on December 9) was also charged with common assault (DV). Court records show she was fined before later seeking to have the matter annulled, which was granted
Sharipova's retina-searing lime-green Lamborghini was parked outside her usual breakfast haunt, Indigo in Double Bay, when a Daily Mail photographer snapped her last December
A mock-up of my WhatsApps from Sharipova when I first contacted her last December
Tamie Ingham, of the famous poultry dynasty, gave birth to a baby boy several months ago but did not publicly announce his arrival. The Group Chat spied her looking decidedly bump-free while taking a stroll through Sydney's eastern suburbs on Monday
New mum Tamie was also pictured out and about in Woollahra last Friday
While the bébé garçon is Tamie's first child, her husband, French celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi, has four older children from his previous marriage. (Tamie and Guillaume are pictured on their wedding day at the Musée Rodin in Paris in June 2023)
The Group Chat spied her looking decidedly bump-free while taking a stroll through Sydney's eastern suburbs with her sister Katie this week.
Katie famously wed partner Ali Rosenberg in a barefoot ceremony in Italy in 2023 during the same European summer that Tamie and Guillaume said 'I do'.
While the bébé garçon is Tamie's first child, Guillaume has four older children, Constance, Honor, Violette and Loïc, from his previous marriage to Sanchia Brahimi (née Curran), which lasted 16 years before ending acrimoniously in early 2016.
Tamie and Guillaume's old-money wedding at the iconic Musée Rodin in Paris attracted guests including Karl Stefanovic, who emceed the reception and is married to Tamie's former Mara & Mine business partner Jasmine Yarbrough; Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch; Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli and his wife, Lisa; as well as culinary stars Matt Moran and Shannon Bennett.
Nick, you're barred
Boutique property developer Nick Couloumbis will have to find a new haunt after being banished from Club Rose Bay following an alleged late-night bust-up with eastern suburbs blueblood Angus Onisforou.
Couloumbis has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but one thing is certain: there'll be no post-court schooners at the harbourside club anytime soon.
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Despite texting me to say he wouldn't be appearing in court on Thursday because he was 'unwell', I understand Couloumbis later slipped into the courtroom alongside his sharply dressed barrister Bryan Wrench.
The incident allegedly unfolded on Saturday, May 23, at Club Rose Bay, where Couloumbis and a group of eight men allegedly confronted Onisforou and his close friend Luke Gaffney.
Onisforou is the polo-playing son of Greek-Cypriot Australian cattle baron and property investor Theo Onisforou, the man widely credited with transforming Paddington's luxury shopping precinct, The Intersection.
According to an eyewitness, the confrontation escalated almost immediately.
Commercial property developer Nicholas Couloumbis claims he was acting in self-defence
Angus Onisforou (seen with his model ex-girlfriend Meghan Blake Irwin in March last year) was involved in an alleged altercation with Nicholas Couloumbis at Club Rose Bay on May 23
Under his bail conditions, Couloumbis is barred from entering Rose Bay RSL, trading as Club Rose Bay, or coming within 50 metres of the venue (pictured)
Couloumbis disputes that account, maintaining he acted in self-defence and intends to vigorously defend the charges.
Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter point to simmering tensions over a controversial development application lodged by Couloumbis' company, Toohey Miller.
If Couloumbis was hoping to drown his legal woes with a quiet beer at Club Rose Bay, he'll have to do it somewhere else.
Under his bail conditions, he is barred from entering Rose Bay RSL, trading as Club Rose Bay, or coming within 50 metres of the venue.
He is also prohibited from contacting or associating with Angus Onisforou, Luke Gaffney, or any staff or security employed by the club.
