In The Media

From humble beginnings to a global activewear empire, Lorna Jane built more than a fashion label – she created a movement centred on confidence, community and living well. 

The entrepreneur, who built an athleisure empire of more than 100 stores by giving ’90s aerobics culture an outfit, bought the Byron Bay health retreat Soma in September 2025. At the time of the sale, she told The Australian Financial Review there was “nothing much I would change”.

After more than 30 years at the helm of one of Australia’s most recognisable activewear brands, Lorna Jane Clarkson has little interest in chasing what’s bigger, faster or louder. These days, her focus has shifted – away from constant expansion and towards something more deliberate: purpose, clarity and a version of wellness that supports real life, not perfection.

Bondi-based global influencer Elle Ferguson styles Lorna Jane’s new collection, Designed With Intention , a wardrobe built for days that move from studio to street to dinner.

When Byron Bay’s SOMA was sold to Australian entrepreneur Lorna Jane Clarkson – of iconic athletic brand Lorna Jane – and husband Bill, it was about fulfilling a dream that’s been years in the making.

Lorna Jane has long dressed women around the world in feel-good athleisure and polished workout sets. This June, it took wellbeing beyond the wardrobe by unveiling a luxury retreat in the rolling hinterlands of Byron Bay.

Fitness queen Lorna Jane Clarkson turned a love of sewing outfits for her aerobics classes into a multimillion-dollar business. She is. one of Australia’s leading female founders.

We already live in activewear. Lorna Jane’s In Her World collection simply gives the leggings-and-a-top formula more polish, more layers and more places to go.

Lorna Jane Clarkson made her own workout tights because nothing good existed, invented the idea that you could wear them everywhere, grew through a financial crisis while everyone else shrank, and last year became the first Australian brand to pay every worker in her supply chain a living wage. 

The chief executive of Lorna Jane says the activewear retailer is benefiting from Australian shoppers supporting local brands, which has helped it lift sales and profits as it expands into wellness travel.

Most of us hate competition, but Lorna Jane Clarkson knows that her athleisure brand wouldn’t be as big today without it. In fact, she praises the rivals.

Lorna Jane’s bestselling Thermal Capsule Collection fuses elevated design with performance innovation, delivering the season’s most covetable cold-weather pieces.

I'm up at 5am. I start with a big glass of water, then move to my breathwork for six to eight minutes. Then I'm out of bed. I work out every day - weight training or yoga.

Asked how it feels to turn 60, Lorna Jane Clarkson says, “Somehow, it doesn’t feel much different to turning 30″. “If anything, I do feel more confident and at ease with who I am now than when I was younger. I used to think this stage of life would be about slowing down, but for me it’s been busier than ever.”

Here, Clarkson talks to Marketing Mag about her passion for lifting women up to live their best lives, even when faced with seemingly impossible odds.

Fashion queen Lorna Jane has been happily married for 35 years to the man she built her clothing empire with. How they juggle work and home life successfully revealed.

Active Empowerment: While the official Lorna Jane business story hints at accidental success in the early days of the brand, anyone who has created (or tried to create a business from scratch) will know that there's no such thing as accidental success.

Asked how it feels to turn 60, Lorna Jane Clarkson says, “Somehow, it doesn’t feel much different to turning 30″. “If anything, I do feel more confident and at ease with who I am now than when I was younger. I used to think this stage of life would be about slowing down, but for me it’s been busier than ever.”

Thirty-five years on, Clarkson remains determined to set trends, rather than follow them. As for coming up with the term “activewear” itself? “If I’d thought I was coining a new phrase, I would have been a bit more imaginative,” she said.

Lorna Jane Clarkson founded her eponymous activewear brand in 1989 – now, her distinctive workout gear can be seen in stores, on gym-goers or worn as casual wear around the world.

The CEO Magazine’s 13th annual Executive of the Year Awards was a night to remember, with Australia’s biggest names in business celebrating their successes and impact at The Star Sydney.

It’s been 35 years since Lorna Jane Clarkson started making comfortable outfits to wear when she taught fitness classes, never dreaming that it was the start of a multimillion-dollar business.

For Lorna Jane Clarkson, creating the activewear category all those years ago was about more than just fitness clothing, it was about empowering women to live their best...

Lorna Janes new athleisure capsule gives classic cuts a new-world spin, and we can't get enough of the new era. Here are the best pieces from the new collection.

The fitness advocate and athleisure pioneer celebrates 35 years in business this year—with no plans to stop.

Lorna Jane Clarkson, the driving force behind Australia’s leading activewear brand, Lorna Jane, reflects on 35 years of revolutionising women’s wardrobes.

Synonymous worldwide for her fusion of fashion and function, Lorna Jane Clarkson is changing the view on activewear with her wearable, unique and well thought out designs. We caught up with the passionate entrepreneur on her mission to inspire and empower women.

A pair of flared leggings won’t stay on the shelves at Lorna Jane thanks to their surprising secret that means they’ll get you heading out for a walk or run — whatever the weather.

With the weather dramatically cooling down, and the mornings feeling fresher than they have in some time, you wouldn’t be alone if you find yourself browsing the internet for cold-weather clothes and activewear. And there is nothing better than Lorna Jane’s fleece-lined range which is perfect for conquering the cold, and a hit with shoppers year in year out.

Elyse Knowles is the face of Lorna Jane’s campaign, celebrating their 35th birthday. It’s something of a full-circle moment for Knowles, who fondly recalls shooting for the brand as a young 20-year-old.

From workout apparel to cookbooks, Lorna Jane Clarkson helped shape Antipodeans’ concept of a balanced lifestyle and establish wellbeing as a consumer category, and 2024 marks 35 years in business. What do her days look like now? These are her non-negotiables for an energising morning.

The iconic sustainability business partner Nicole Conroy, KMD Brands Head of ESG Shasta O'Loughlin, and founder of her eponymous label Lorna Jane share the steps in signing up to Seamless - the new clothing stewardship scheme.

This recipe which features in my cookbook, NOURISH, is one that I make in my kitchen almost every week. They are easy enough to prepare when you have a busy schedule and so delicious you will want to enjoy them over and over again.

If you don’t own at least one item from famed Australian activewear brand Lorna Jane, you’d be one of the few. This hugely successful, game-changing brand is the functional and stylish choice for active women everywhere. And indeed, the brand’s founder, Lorna Jane Clarkson, reportedly even coined the term “activewear” back in 1989.

You could hear the collective gasp as the security-lined gates slowly opened upon Lorna Jane Clarkson’s Pacific Palisades estate.