Imagine finding the perfect activewear clothing that was equal parts stylish and functional … and then imagine that every day you wear said clothing you are bombarded with compliments from total strangers WHILE being so comfortable, you almost feel guilty?
Meet Lorna Jane Clarkson: the ridiculously talented Aussie designer who is about to become every American girl’s new best friend! Lorna Jane activewear has acquired a cult following in Australia for the past 20 years with good reason – she has nailed the fitness fashion market down to an addictive science. And, now she is finally expanding her fashion empire into the USA! I discovered Lorna Jane’s Santa Monica Place store by word-of-mouth and couldn’t wait to see what all the buzz was about. Normally, when I scout out a new retailer I may find 3 or 4 things to take into the dressing room as I “fit rate” the brand. This time, I had a stuffed dressing room full of things that I loved & they all fit so beautifully … even the spandex leggings!?
How does she do it? I sat down with the delightfully relatable designer to find out the answers to all of her styling solutions, design secrets and inspiring philosophies on life…
LG Style: You have been Australia’s dominant brand in the active wear industry for over 20 years – To what do you contribute your longevity?
LornaJane: This was a ‘happy accident.’ It all started because as a Fitness Instructor, I couldn’t find clothing that made me feel feminine and funky and still did the things I needed it to do when I was working out, so I made my own. And since I was on that platform teaching classes, people would ask me where I got them from and I ended up making them for other people and then just woke up one day and said, “I need to quit my day job!” So, I guess the thing that resonates with most people is that is comes from an organic place. I was filling a need that I had personally and then just by doing that the people who saw it wanted it as well. And there were people all over Australia, and now all over the world, who feel the same way. I think what’s appealing is that this business wasn’t started by someone who wanted to make money, this business was started because she was in love with fashion and fitness and she just made it work.
LGStyle: The fit of your workout wear is so flattering to such a wide variety of women. How were you able to create such a universally slimming design?
LornaJane: I was making them for myself and I’m just a real woman, I’m not an athlete so I just started off by everything fitting me perfectly. And I just knew how I wanted it to feel … you just know when you put on a pair of Lorna Jane tights it feels so different, you feel a size smaller, you feel supported and you want to exercise. I tell people I sprinkled fairy dust on it … I’m a witch or something! Ha! But, it does motivate people. I just think it’s OK for garments to look great on the rack or in a magazine, but they have to fit. And with active wear it needs to be functional as well. Fit is everything and we put a lot of time into it. It’s a big thing for us. I’m not just the face of the brand, I’m a fashion designer and a perfectionist at that so it has to be perfect.
LGStyle: I’ve noticed one big mistake that women make in the gym is that they dress sloppier when they feel apologetic for their appearance. Maybe they are heavier than they’d like, and you’ve got all these mirrors all over the walls reflecting that depressed image back at you while trying to stay motivated. What do you tell women who are in a fitness slump?
Lorna Jane: Through my journey with Lorna Jane, I’ve met women who say, “When I’m in shape I’ll start wearing Lorna Jane.” I say, why would you want to wait until then? You’re going to look and feel so much better once you put the product on! As a Stylist I’m sure you see this all the time, you can see as you put them in different outfits that they would never have thought to wear, their confidence just starts to lift. And you’ve actually changed their life. I remember getting an email from a Father who came into the store with his 16-year old daughter. And she was really, really low in confidence … she hardly spoke … and he bought her a few outfits and the store girls made her feel so good that he just had to write to tell me about it. He said, “My daughter is a different girl now. I’m sitting in the lounge now while I’m doing this and she’s coming out and showing me different ways to put things together.” I mean, that’s why I do this. Yes, I love designing actually, but that’s why I do it to hear those types of inspiring stories.
LGStyle: I love how your store is filled with inspirational quotes on the walls and on the clothing. Tell us a little bit about how that plays into your business philosophy?
Lorna Jane: “Move. Nourish. Believe.” is my own personal philosophy that I have just developed over the years. It’s always been how I’ve lived my life. I move my body everyday, I nourish from the inside out with good foods, but also forgiving myself and nurturing myself with massages and time with family and I believe anything is possible. I really take that glass is half full approach to life and just want to be positive. I was going to write a book last year and I went out to Facebook and said, “what do you want me to write about” and that’s all they asked about … “What do you eat? How do you exercise? How do you stay motivated? How are you so positive?” As I started putting all my thoughts down on paper, I thought, “this is my philosophy that I’m talking about here” and the business has just exploded from writing that book and people are just falling in love with those philosophies. I have inspirational quotes posted EVERYWHERE in my office and my home! I’ve always been positive … my Mother said I came out smiling.
LGStyle: How is Lorna Jane activewear different from other active wear brands on the market?
LornaJane: Oh my goodness, where do I start? We have a founder – myself – who epitomizes a certain way of life. So, the whole purpose of our brand is to inspire women to take on active living. It’s a whole way of life, so when you fall in love with Lorna Jane, you fall in love with a way of life. They become a sisterhood of women who inspire other women to get active. Women are amazing. That’s the thing about our brand – we are for active women by active women. We design for active women, but I really believe that if you inspire a woman you inspire a family. Because women decide how much they do, what you eat, how much TV the kids watch, all those things. So, if you can inspire a woman to get active and all the people that connect with her you’ll be active too. A lot of other activewear brands do the same styles but they just change the colors up or the waistband. We really do reinvent ourselves and that’s because we love design. We’re not just maker’s of activewear, we’re fashion designers and that’s what makes us passionate!
Lorna Jane exercises for one hour a day every morning and considers this the #1 thing she does to revitalize herself. (Even when she travels!) She refers to her daily workout as her ‘therapeutic meditation’ time. With 70-100 new styles EVERY SINGLE MONTH, you can see how inspiring her workouts really are! Ladies, if you are looking for a casually cool look, this is your brand. LuLuLemon, your reign is over … there’s a new Sheriff in town and she is about to be synonymous with great fit and innovative style. As my new friend, Lorna Jane says: “Take a leap of faith and try something different. If you’re not learning, you’re not living.”
Go to the Lorna Jane website and check out her complete collection today!
[…] thing about Lorna Jane is her philosophy. As Lorna Jane said in her interview with Laurie Graham, “‘Move. Nourish. Believe.’ is my own personal philosophy that […]