Lorna Jane facts for kids
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Headquarters at Eagle Farm, Brisbane
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Lorna Jane Clarkson and Bill Clarkson |
| Headquarters |
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Australia
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Key people
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Lorna Jane Clarkson (Founder & Chief creative officer) Bill Clarkson (CEO) |
| Products | Athletic apparel |
| Revenue | AUD$ 200 million (2014) |
| AUD$ 19.6 million (2013) | |
| Total equity | AUD$ 500 million (estimated) (2016) |
| Owners |
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Number of employees
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1,800 (2015) |
Lorna Jane is a popular company that sells athletic clothing. Its main office is in Brisbane, Australia. It also has offices in the United States, Singapore, China, and New Zealand.
Lorna Jane Clarkson and her husband Bill Clarkson started the company in 1990. Today, the brand has 134 stores. You can find these stores in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Singapore. They also have partner stores in other places like Mexico and Europe.
Contents
What Lorna Jane Sells
Lorna Jane makes and sells many different types of activewear. This includes tights, sports bras, tops, shorts, pants, jackets, and hoodies. They also sell shoes and other accessories.
Many of their clothes use a special fabric called "LJ Excel." This fabric helps to keep you dry and can stretch in four directions. Some items also have special compression fabrics or "power mesh" panels. A magazine called Marie Claire even said Lorna Jane is one of the best sustainable sports brands.
Special Collections
The company sometimes releases special, limited-edition clothing. This includes collections for pregnant women. They also have a "Little Miss" range for babies and young children.
The "Love Bead"
Every Lorna Jane clothing item has a small, heart-shaped bead sewn into it. This bead is a special message to customers. It means the clothing was made "with love."
The names of the clothing styles often come from Lorna Jane team members. One team member said it's exciting to see their name on a new style!
Clothing Sizes
When the company first started, clothes were made up to a size "L." In 2014, Lorna Jane added "XXS" (extra extra small) and "XL" (extra large) sizes.
In 2014, a petition was started online asking Lorna Jane to make even larger sizes. Over 2,700 people signed it. Because of this, the brand added the XL size. This size is similar to Australian women's clothing sizes 14 to 16.
Awards and Recognition
Lorna Jane has won many awards for its designs. They have also won awards for their marketing. In 2017, Marie Claire magazine readers chose Lorna Jane as the Best Athleisure Brand.
How Lorna Jane Makes Clothes
Lorna Jane says it is committed to using sustainable practices. This means they try to be good for the environment when making and getting their materials. They have worked with their main production factory for over 25 years.
The company is proud of the good conditions for its factory workers. They say that very few workers leave after holidays like Chinese New Year. This is much better than other factories in the area. Workers sometimes call the factories "Lorna Land."
Lorna Jane's founder, Lorna Jane Clarkson, wishes they could still make clothes in Australia. However, she says it became too difficult because fabric mills closed and there wasn't enough government support.
Activewear for Men
Lorna Jane Clarkson has been asked many times if she will make activewear for men. She has said she does not plan to expand into men's clothing. She once joked that she likes men to wear their "old footy shirts and triathlon shorts."
Lorna Jane's Story
Starting the Company
Lorna Jane Clarkson (whose maiden name was Smith) used to be a dental technician. She also taught aerobics part-time. She didn't like the workout clothes available in the late 1980s, so she started making her own.
Her students really liked her designs and asked her to make clothes for them too. In 1988, she decided to make clothes full-time. She and her partner, Bill Clarkson, had trouble finding stores to sell their clothes. So, they decided to open their own store.
In 1990, they opened their first store in a shopping center in Brisbane. By 2000, the business needed a bigger factory. To pay for this, the Clarksons sold their home and bought a building in Fortitude Valley. This building became much more valuable over time, helping the company grow even more.
The company's logo has three diamond shapes with curved corners. These shapes are a stylish way to show the letters "L" and "J" joined together.
Growing the Business
The company grew a lot during the Global Financial Crisis around 2008. Instead of waiting for things to get better, Lorna Jane kept opening new stores. They found good locations that might not have been available at other times. This helped the company grow even faster.
In 2010, a company called CHAMP Ventures bought a part of Lorna Jane.
After the 2010–11 Queensland floods, Lorna Jane started a charity program. Customers could bring in used activewear (from any brand) and get a store credit. The used clothes were then given to the Salvation Army. This "Swap Shop" program became permanent. By 2017, customers had donated over 45,000 clothing items.
In March 2012, Lorna Jane opened its first store in the U.S. in Malibu. Even though many people were shopping online, Lorna Jane decided to open more physical stores. By mid-2013, a new Lorna Jane store was opening in California every three weeks! The Clarksons chose California because the active lifestyle there was similar to Australia.
In August 2012, Lorna Jane also launched a fitness tracking app.
By 2013, Lorna Jane had a big share of the active clothing market in Australia. The company also started "Active Living Rooms." These were special spaces where people could take fitness classes or attend events. They also launched a more fashion-focused clothing line called "Uniquely." This line blended activewear with everyday casual clothes.
2014 Changes
In 2014, Lorna Jane partnered with big department stores. In Australia, they teamed up with David Jones. In the U.S., they partnered with Nordstrom. This helped them sell their clothes in even more places.
In August 2014, the company started publishing its own magazine called Active Living. It came out every six weeks and was available in their stores.
Lorna Jane also began registering its clothing designs. This helps protect their unique designs from being copied by other companies.
See also
- List of companies named after people
