Lorna Jane Clarkson is the Australian entrepreneur who founded Lorna Jane activewear and built a$300 million fortune. In fact, Australia’s activewear market reached $8.7 billion in 2025, and Clarkson contributed significantly to building that category. She started her business in 1989 with nothing more than scissors, a paper pattern, and borrowed money from her mother.
In this article, we’ll cover how Lorna Jane Clarkson built her business from scratch, the philosophy that drives her brand, and what her net worth looks like today. We’ll also talk about her hustle years, the famous cash sale story, and what she’s doing beyond activewear.
Let’s find out how a dental therapist from Brisbane became one of Australia’s wealthiest self-made women.
Who Is Lorna Jane Clarkson?
Lorna Jane Clarkson is the founder and chief creative officer of Lorna Jane, one of Australia’s most recognisable activewear brands. Her net worth sits at just over $300 million, and she built the fortune from scratch by creating a category of clothing that didn’t exist when she started.
While not Australia’s richest woman, Lorna ranks among the country’s most successful female entrepreneurs. The Financial Review and Forbes Australia have both featured her when covering self-made rich women in business.
Today, she’s more than just a fashion designer. She’s an author who’s written six books about health and wellbeing. She also hosts a podcast called “Never Give Up,” where she talks to inspiring women about overcoming setbacks.
Plus, she’s become one of Australia’s most recognised advocates for active living, which encourages Australian women to move more and feel better.
Lorna Jane’s Early Life in England and Brisbane
Lorna Jane Clarkson wasn’t born in Australia. She arrived in Brisbane, Australia, at age ten from a small town in Lancashire, England, and was raised by a single mother who worked as a secretary. Her early years were built on adapting to a new country and finding a love for fitness that would eventually drive her success.
Here’s where it all began.
Growing Up in Lancashire and Moving to Australia
Lorna Jane Smith was born on 24 November 1964 in Lancashire, England. Her mother, Jean Hale, raised her and her sisters as a single parent.
When Lorna turned ten, the family emigrated to Australia and settled in Brisbane. The move gave Jane a fresh start in a country where sports and outdoor activities were part of everyday life. She threw herself into playing netball and learning ballet.
At Springwood State High School, she stayed active and worked weekends at Mathers shoe store. There, she was already showing an eye for design (even if she didn’t know it yet).
Beauty Queen Roots and a Dental Therapist Path
After high school, Lorna wanted to become a journalist, but her mother talked her out of it. Instead, she trained as a dental therapist and ended up working for Queensland Health.
The job posted her to Cairns in the north of Queensland, where she provided dental care in schools (it wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills). During her time up north, she ran her first marathon, got crowned Miss Cairns, and met Bill Clarkson, who’d later become her husband and business partner.
The Hustle Years: Juggling Three Jobs
What does it take to launch a business while working full-time? For Lorna Jane, it meant teaching 13 aerobics classes per week, treating teeth in regional Queensland schools, and baking healthy cakes for cafes on the side. The hustle lasted years before she could focus on activewear full-time.
This is how she managed everything at the same time.
Working as a Dental Therapist in Queensland
Lorna studied dental therapy while teaching aerobics at night to earn extra money and stay fit. After graduation, her work as a dental care provider gave her a steady income. She treated kids’ teeth during the day, then raced off to teach fitness classes before most people had finished dinner.
It was exhausting, but the dental job paid for the fabric and materials she needed to sew activewear at night. Unlike the mining boom or technology sector, where fortunes were being made quickly, her path required years of grinding.
Teaching 13 Aerobic Classes Per Week
Lorna taught up to 13 aerobics classes weekly, and some sessions pulled in 50 to 60 students each. That was when she started using “Lorna Jane” as her teaching name to avoid confusion with another instructor called Lorna at the gym (and the name stuck with her).
Meanwhile, students kept asking where they could buy the activewear she wore to class. To their surprise, she’d made it herself because nothing on the market looked good or felt right. That’s when she realised she might be onto something greater than just solving her own clothing problem.
Baking Healthy Cakes on the Side
Teaching and dental work weren’t enough. That’s why Lorna ran a third income stream baking healthy cakes for Brisbane cafes. The cakes brought in extra cash to buy better fabrics and cover rent on her tiny workspace.
Juggling dental work, aerobics instruction, and the baking business while developing activewear designs at night sounds impossible (most people would’ve cracked under that schedule). But the multiple jobs gave her the income to fund her growing side hustle without needing a bank loan or investor.
How Did Lorna Jane Clarkson Build Her Business?
Lorna Jane Clarkson built her business by sewing her own activewear when nothing on the market fit the way she wanted. She used to wear the designs to teach aerobics classes, and eventually opened her first concept store in Brisbane in 1990.
Take a look at the journey between those points.
Sewing Activewear Because Nothing Else Worked
At 24, Lorna Jane thought that the existing gym clothes were unflattering and uncomfortable. They were purely functional, and designed by blokes who’d never worn them.
So she used scissors and a paper pattern traced from her favourite swimsuit (no formal fashion training at that point, just instinct and determination). Other than that, she’d been crocheting bikinis since age 16 and customising her own clothes from age 18, so she understood construction basics.
The pieces she made with that skill looked good and felt right. And that’s how the fit woman’s secret revealed itself through trial and error on her own body.
Bill Clarkson: The Co-Founder Behind the Scenes
Bill Clarkson took Lorna’s designs to Myer department store to pitch stocking the activewear range. He handled early business decisions, landed the first retail partnerships, and ran operations while Lorna focused on design.
Without her husband, Bill Clarkson, pushing the brand into stores and managing the logistics, Lorna Jane might’ve stayed a side hustle forever. They married on 11 September 1994 and built the business together as equal partners.
The Myer Rejection and Opening the First Store
Myer buyers were confused about where to position activewear. The sports section? Swimwear? Lingerie? Nobody had a category for clothes designed to look good at the gym.
Bill recalls the buyer saying he “looked at me like I was crazy” when he explained it shouldn’t go in the sports section. Eventually, Myer bought a small range for five stores and stuck it in a corner between swimwear and lingerie.
That half-hearted placement showed Lorna and Bill they needed to tell the story themselves. That’s why in 1990, they opened the first Lorna Jane concept store in Brisbane.
Growth Milestones: Building a Retail Empire from One Store
Once the first Lorna Jane store opened, it came through bold bets, famous cash windfalls, and sacrifices that would make most people think twice. Unlike other Australian entrepreneurs like Simon Beard, who built Culture Kings, or Nicole Livingstone in the swimming world, Lorna’s path was uniquely focused on innovation in women’s activewear.
This is how she grinded to her success.
The Famous $25,000 Cash Sale Story
A customer once walked into the second Lorna Jane store and bought the entire stock for $25,000, as she planned to resell it elsewhere. And Bill rode his bicycle back to the workshop with $25,000 cash stuffed in a bag.
This story became a famous business anecdote that still gets referenced today. While they initially celebrated the windfall, soon they realised they had no stock left to sell to other customers.
That’s when they learned that the money was great, but the empty shelves were a problem.
Selling Their Dream Home to Buy a Factory
By 2000, the business needed a larger factory. To pay for it, Lorna and Bill sold their Brisbane dream home for $450,000 (they’d spent seven years making it perfect). And from the deck, they could see the church where they got married.
They used the sale money to buy a factory building in Fortitude Valley for $465,000. The property was dirty and full of termites when they bought it. However, they fixed it up for manufacturing clothes and built an apartment above it to live in.
Within two years, the building’s value grew to $4 million, and their gamble on the property market paid off. That equity helped them secure more capital to expand the business even further.
Expanding to 150+ Stores Internationally
Lorna Jane grew from a single Brisbane store in 1990 to over 140 Australian stores today. The brand expanded into the United States and South Africa as demand grew beyond Australia’s borders. They also opened stores in Sydney and other major cities across the country.
In March 2016, they even bought property in Santa Monica, California, to manage US operations. The brand is now stocked in major retailers globally while keeping company-owned concept stores in prime locations.
What Is Lorna Jane Clarkson Net Worth Today?
Lorna Jane Clarkson’s net worth is estimated at just over $300 million, built entirely from the activewear business. While she’s not Australia’s richest woman, she ranks among the most successful female entrepreneurs in Australia featured in major publications on International Women’s Day.
Below is a rough idea of her wealth.
Estimated at $300 Million
Lorna Jane Clarkson’s net worth sits at just over $300 million, which makes her one of Australia’s wealthiest self-made women. She’s often mentioned alongside other successful Australian women like Michael Cannon-Brookes’ wife or those in the mining industry in features.
Although in 2014, she considered selling the business, later she decided against it, saying she’d be “half a person without the brand.” That attachment to the company kept her in control and kept the wealth growing.
The CHAMP Ventures Partnership and 60% Ownership
In 2010, private equity firm CHAMP Ventures bought a 40% stake in the Lorna Jane business through a major deal. On the other side, Lorna and Bill Clarkson kept 60% ownership, which meant they stayed in control while getting capital to fund international expansion.
That ownership stake is where most of her net worth lives today. As the company grows and revenue climbs through both retail stores and advertising campaigns, so does the value of that stake.
Move, Nourish, Believe: The Philosophy Behind the Brand
Lorna Jane’s philosophy isn’t abstract marketing. Rather, it breaks down into three practical pillars that can be applied to daily life immediately.
Here’s how this philosophy drives everything her brand’s label does:
- Move: Daily physical activity becomes a non-negotiable part of life, not just gym sessions. As the activewear makes movement easier, it builds habits that encourage women and make an active lifestyle more appealing.
- Nourish: Whole foods and clean eating fuel your body to support active living. Instead of restrictive diets, she inspires eating real food that helps you feel better as part of an active life.
- Believe: A positive mindset, goal-setting, and living authentically drive everything else. Without belief in yourself, the Move and Nourish parts don’t last long. This message encourages setting goals, staying committed, and building lives reflecting what’s important.
This philosophy helped make the activewear label a lifestyle movement. It exists to support that journey, not just sell garments.
Beyond Activewear: Author, Podcast Host, and Advocate
Building a $300 million empire wasn’t enough for Lorna Jane Clarkson. She’s also written six books, launched a podcast series, and became one of Australia’s most recognisable advocates for health and active living.
Take a look at what she does besides her business:
- Books: She’s written books about health and wellbeing, including “Move, Nourish, Believe” published in March 2011 and “Love You” in 2017. The books discuss her philosophy and give practical advice for building healthier habits.
- Podcast: “Never Give Up” is a podcast series featuring conversations with inspiring women about overcoming challenges and setbacks. The show is raw and real, which covers topics like struggles and personal hardships.
- Advocacy and Media: As chief creative officer, she still designs the activewear collections while using her platform to encourage Australian people to move more, eat better, and believe in themselves. She’s also appeared on International Women’s Day panels and continues advocating for health nationwide.
These projects extend her reach beyond retail and let her connect in different ways.
What Female Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Lorna Jane
Lorna Jane built a $300 million activewear empire by spotting a gap nobody else saw and backing herself when retailers said no. She juggled three jobs, sold her dream house to buy factory property, and rode out the knockbacks until things took off. The innovation she brought to the industry changed everything.
So start where you are, use what you have, and don’t wait for perfect conditions. Her story gets featured during International Women’s Day celebrations because it proves what’s possible when you remain true to your vision.
If you’re building something in Australia and want more stories like this, Australian Business Magazine covers the entrepreneurs, strategies, and insights that matter to founders. Even when you’re just starting out or scaling up, there’s always something new to learn from the people who’ve done it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lorna Jane Clarkson
People have questions about how she built her empire, what she’s worth, and where things stand today. These are the most common questions and answers.
How Did Lorna Jane Clarkson Start Her Business?
Lorna Jane started the activewear label in March 1989 by sewing garments for herself because nothing on the market looked good or felt right. She wore the designs to teach aerobics classes, and students kept asking where they could buy them. That demand convinced her to start a proper venture for garments designed by a woman.
What is Lorna Jane Clarkson’s Net Worth?
Her net worth is estimated at just over $300 million. The wealth mostly comes from her activewear company, which she built from the ground up with no investors. In fact, Forbes Australia and the Financial Review have featured her when covering rich women who made their fortunes through entrepreneurship, rather than inheritance.
Is Lorna Jane Still Married to Bill Clarkson?
Yes, she’s still married to Bill Clarkson. They got married on 11 September 1994. Her husband, Bill Clarkson, has been her partner and co-founder throughout the company’s growth, handling operations while she focused on design. The partnership between them, both personal and professional, remains strong today.
Where are Lorna Jane Stores Located?
Locations are spread across Australia, including Sydney and other major cities. There are over 140 outlets in Australia, plus locations in the United States and South Africa. You can also find the activewear stocked in major retailers around the world, not just in company-owned outlets.
