2024 Executive of the Year Awards Sydney Judge: Lorna Jane Clarkson
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 lives – a mission that she champions to this day.
Gym clothes were once considered a necessity for a sweaty sport session. Then, as heart rates slowed post-workout, they were swiftly resigned to the laundry pile. That’s no longer the case. These days, activewear has become a wardrobe staple, worn from dawn to dusk by millions of women as they go about their daily lives.
Largely responsible for this shift is Lorna Jane Clarkson, Founder and CCO of Lorna Jane Activewear. Since she founded the business with her husband, Bill Clarkson, in 1989, it has expanded to include more than 250 stores spread across the globe, with women in countries worldwide choosing her clothes to stay both healthy and comfortable.
But it’s a success story that didn’t happen overnight. As Clarkson explains to The CEO Magazine, creating this new fashion category took a great deal of perseverance.
"You have to remember there was no activewear category at the time, and simply trying to convince people to wear their Lorna Jane clothes outside of the gym, or convince landlords that I could run a profitable retail store selling this new concept, was very challenging," she says.
"How activewear is perceived today is exactly how I envisioned it from the beginning."
Confident in her vision despite this initial resistance, Clarkson stayed the course and saw it through to fruition.
"How activewear is perceived today is exactly how I envisioned it from the beginning," she reflects.
"What started in the late 80s as something you would just wear to the gym has become a category (the activewear category) all of its own. Activewear continues to take market share from mainstream women’s fashion."
A creative spark
Clarkson’s love of designing took shape during her high school years. "I found myself crocheting bikinis for all the girls in my class instead of doing my homework," she recalls.
From an early age, she had struggled to find clothes she liked on the high street and so had resorted to making her own.
"It was the same when it came to activewear," she says, as she thinks back to when the business first began to take shape.
"I was the fitness instructor that knew what I wanted to wear but no-one was making it, so I created a pattern from my favorite swimsuit and made it myself.
"It was never my intention to make this new concept of activewear for anyone else, but the women in my classes had other ideas and before I knew it, I was designing and sewing every night and over the weekends to keep up with the growing demand."
"I witnessed firsthand how wearing Lorna Jane gave women more confidence and motivation to work out."
With so many women wearing her designs, she realized that she was onto something. She quit her day job and started making activewear full-time. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Clarkson is quick to point out that the company’s achievements, while the result of hard work over many years, were ultimately born from a simple idea.
"When it comes to success, I believe it comes from having a clear goal and an even clearer pathway to achieve that goal," she reflects.
"In the beginning, it was just about activewear, but when I witnessed firsthand how wearing Lorna Jane gave women more confidence and motivation to work out, it also became about empowering women."
As the business and her own profile grew, she found her own role evolving from empowering women with her ‘Move, Nourish, Believe’ philosophy, to actually advising them on how to set their own personal goals and achieve them.
Meaningful mission
The company has also found other ways to support women, particularly those in need, though initiatives such as its partnership with Women’s Community Shelters. The organization works with communities to establish short-term emergency accommodation and support for homeless women, helping them to take control of their lives.
According to Women's Community Shelters, of the women across Australia who seek a bed in a crisis shelter, more than one in two are turned away every night, mostly due to a lack of space.
"This is something close to our hearts," Clarkson says. "The funds we raise are used to cover everything a woman and her family need when they find themselves without a place to live, such as food and accommodation, transport, access to doctors, counselors and training."
"Our brand is all about empowering women and making them feel good about themselves."
It’s a great example of Clarkson’s emphasis on purpose beyond profitability, which has become a crucial cornerstone of her approach to business, dating all the way back to those early days when she first saw the difference her designs made to the women who wore them.
"They just seemed more confident and inspired to work out and they often shared with me that putting on their ‘Lorna’ made them not only look forward to their workouts but gave them a confidence they had never experienced before," she says.
"Since then, it has always been about making women feel good about themselves – from the motivational quotes on our tees, the books I have written on active living, to our dedicated teams that welcome women into our stores and to be part of our community.
"Our brand is all about empowering women and making them feel good about themselves and it is this that gets me out of bed in the morning with the same enthusiasm as the beginning and plays a huge factor in the continued success and longevity of our business."
The next chapter
Having made such an impact already, Clarkson has no intention of stepping back. While she keeps her cards close to her chest, she does hint big things are afoot, highlighting it as ‘just the beginning’ when it comes to activewear and the empowerment of women.
"There’s so much more to do," she says.
"I love change and driving change, adapting to change and creating change. It’s what fashion and business in general is all about," she says.
Looking ahead, she believes the ‘casualization’ of dressing will continue and expects the activewear category will reap the benefits of this ongoing trend.
"I also think that people will buy less but invest in quality," she says. "Consumers will want to know more about how and where their products – not just activewear – are made and the impact the clothes they choose to wear have on both the people that make it and the planet."
Clarkson’s ability to stay in the game for so long has been determined in large part by her flexible stance on work–life balance.
"I don’t believe that work–life balance is a fixed concept, but rather something that is always in a state of flux," she says. "Sometimes it feels like you’re doing everything right and then a deadline changes and everything remotely balanced about your life goes out the window.
"I think what’s important is that you have small things you can do every day that stop you from going completely off track, like a morning walk or a bedtime ritual that you can still achieve when things are crazy.
"Then, when things go back to normal, you can take more time for yourself until the chaos starts all over again. I think when you are driven and love what you do, both cycles can be fulfilling and enjoyable."
"For me, recognizing CEOs and shining a light on their achievements is both an honor and a privilege."
It’s this hard-earned expertise and passion for business that Clarkson hopes to share with other aspiring leaders through her involvement in inspiring initiatives such as The CEO Magazine 2024 Executive of the Year Awards. For the second time, she will act as a panel judge in this year’s event, which will take place at The Star in Sydney on Thursday, 14 November – an experience that resonates with her for a number of reasons.
"I think it’s always great to be acknowledged for the work that you do, especially when it’s from within the industry," she reflects. "Being recognized by your peers is like receiving a reward for the work you’ve done so far, and it serves as encouragement to say that your efforts have been noticed and are making an impact.
"For me, recognizing CEOs and shining a light on their achievements is both an honor and a privilege."
Having worn a series of hats during her own career – those of entrepreneur, innovator, game-changer, role model and mentor – hers is a valuable perspective that she is happy to share with others.
"I often think about that young fitness instructor that had the courage to follow her heart, work hard and create a way of dressing that would revolutionize the fashion industry, and I am really proud of her," Clarkson says with a smile.
"My proudest achievement without a doubt is inventing the activewear category and, most importantly, changing the way women live their lives."