Lorna Jane Clarkson is no stranger to risk. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on supply chains, she made the bold decision to buy back the 40% stake in her namesake brand for $28 million. “The deal of the century,” she calls it now, but at the time, the future was anything but certain. Now, she faces her next big challenge.
With no stock coming out of China and growing uncertainty about the retail landscape, Clarkson and her husband Bill seized the moment to purchase Lorna Jane back from private equity firm Champ Ventures. “We had to buy it back,” she said on stage at the Forbes Australia Business Summit. “It was a very scary time, but also the best business decision we’ve ever made.”
Now, Clarkson is facing a different kind of uncertainty: the global impact of Donald Trump’s re-election.
On Tuesday, President-elect Trump announced sweeping new tariffs, including a 10% hike on Chinese imports, aimed at reshoring manufacturing and curbing the federal deficit. For businesses like Lorna Jane, which have long relied on Chinese supply chains, the stakes are higher than ever.
“If you’re in the fashion industry and exporting to the US while manufacturing in China, there are going to be a lot of factors to navigate,” Clarkson said. “We are exploring manufacturing options in various countries due to tariffs and other challenges. You can see the changes happening, and it’s important to prepare yourself and position yourself accordingly.”
For Clarkson, agility and foresight have been key to her enduring success.
Creating a giant
Clarkson’s entrepreneurial story began in 1989 when, as a fitness instructor, she faced a simple yet frustrating challenge: the workout clothing available didn’t suit her needs. “It was either running shorts, yoga pants, or G-string leotards,” she recalled. The solution? She designed her own.
“It was all very sports-specific,” she said. “I just wanted something women could put on and be active in all day.” What started as a personal solution to a wardrobe problem quickly resonated with her fitness class members.
Within months, she realised she was onto something. “I looked up one day, and the entire class was wearing pieces I’d made,” she said. “That was the moment I knew.”
In the 35 years since, Lorna Jane has grown to over 160 stores globally, becoming synonymous with the activewear movement. However, achieving such sheer scale was never her initial intention.
“We didn’t want to be the biggest activewear brand on the planet. We just wanted to do it the best.”
Lorna Jane Clarkson
Expansion into international markets, including the US and Europe, helped solidify the brand’s values and identity. “It was really evident that it was the brand values that people were attracted to,” Clarkson noted.
Even as the market becomes crowded, with influencers launching their own activewear brands, Clarkson views the competition as a positive sign. “I don’t want to do it on my own… this is to change women’s lives.”
When asked about the secret to her longevity, Clarkson credits her insatiable curiosity.
“I’m so interested in new things. I want to go out on a limb and test the system, test fabrics, and do all of the things that possibly are outside of my comfort zone,” she said. This drive has kept her excited about her role and the future of activewear.
“I just believe it’s got so much further to go than it is now.”
Thirty-five years on, Clarkson remains determined to set trends, rather than follow them – even revisiting the brand’s archives for inspiration. “An influencer pulled a pair of our pants out of her mother’s wardrobe, and they went viral. We have been doing these pants since the early 2000, and she restyled them and they went viral.”
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.
