Oh hello, fellow millennial and Gen X women who are still stubbornly living in leggings! We’re the absolute masters of rocking a leisurewear to every-other-wear situation. But, Lorna Jane Clarkson herself has been quietly plotting to make that whole activewear-to-everything pipeline an actual reality. The iconic Aussie brand that basically invented the concept of looking cute while sweating has grown up, and she’s now dressing women for boardrooms, school runs, weekends away and everything in between. We’re talking blazers, jeans – a full-blown lifestyle evolution that’s been two to three years in the making. We had a yarn with Lorna Jane Clarkson to talk about why workwear was the obvious next move, what Kiwi women do differently when they shop, and her ultimate capsule wardrobe picks that’ll take you from a 6am workout to an afternoon meeting without missing a beat.
Capsule: Kia ora, Lorna! Congratulations on your new collection – is it a bit of a new direction for you and the brand?
Lorna: Thank you! It really is, though it’s a journey we’ve been on for the past two to three years – intentionally and lovingly weaving more elevated lifestyle pieces into the everyday wardrobe of our community. It started with small steps, but now it feels like a truly natural evolution of everything Lorna Jane has always stood for: dressing women for the life they’re actually living
Capsule: You’ve described it as a ‘coming of age’ for Lorna Jane – how so?
Lorna: When you grow any part of your business, it takes time for your community to come with you. Women weren’t walking into our stores looking for jeans, blazers or sleepwear – they came to us for activewear. But slowly, beautifully, that has shifted. Now they know we design for more occasions in their lives: morning workouts, school runs, boardrooms, weekends away – and they’ve started to look to us for all of it. And then they tell their friends. That ripple effect is everything to me.
Capsule: Why the focus on workwear now? Where did the inspiration come from?
Lorna: Because I want women to feel empowered in every aspect of their lives – not just in the gym. Activewear was always about more than exercise; it was about confidence, energy, showing up as your best self. Workwear is the same conversation, just in a different room. If we can make a woman feel just as strong walking into a meeting as she does finishing a run, then we’ve done our job. That’s the impact I’ve always wanted Lorna Jane to have.
Capsule: Is there a hero piece in this collection?
Lorna: The hero is the woman wearing it. Full stop. Before getting dressed each day, I encourage every woman to ask herself, “How do I want to feel today?” That single question is so powerful; it shifts getting dressed from habit into intention. Our new collections are more varied than ever precisely because her answer will be different every single day. Some days she wants to feel strong and energised, others soft and relaxed, or sharp and unstoppable. We want to show up for her, whatever she needs.
Capsule: Have you noticed big changes in how women dress – and therefore shop – since Covid? Or are we NOW changing from our post-Covid casual style?
Lorna: We’ve absolutely moved on from Covid, but I think what it gave us was a deeper appreciation for clothing that works with the way we actually live – versatile, comfortable, adaptable. That has honestly always been the philosophy behind everything we design at Lorna Jane. So in many ways, the world simply caught up with what we’d believed all along. The woman of today doesn’t want a wardrobe that boxes her in – she wants pieces that move with her, from one part of her day to the next.
Capsule: How women live – and work! – has changed a lot in the more than 25 years since you founded your business. What have been the biggest changes you yourself have made in your creative and business processes?
Lorna: So much has changed, and honestly, I love that it has. When I started Lorna Jane, I was designing for a woman who was just beginning to embrace movement as part of her identity. Today, she is multidimensional – she’s an athlete, a leader, a mother, a creative, a CEO. My biggest shift has been learning to listen more deeply. I used to design from my own instincts, and while I still trust those, I now also co-create with our community. Their lives, their challenges, their ambitions – that’s my brief. The other big change is the pace of it all. Technology has transformed how we design, how we connect, and how we bring new ideas to life. But the heart of what we do – championing women, celebrating movement, designing for a life well-lived – that has never changed. And it never will.
Capsule: If you could advise women on a little mini Capsule wardrobe – the interchangeable basics that can build a fabulous foundation?
Lorna: Start with a great sports bra – honestly, wear one every day, all day. Layer over it with a ribbed tank or a semi-fitted tee; these are your most hardworking pieces. From there, add bike shorts or training shorts for your workouts, and a full-zip or half-zip sweat to throw on before and after. A beautiful pair of leggings is non-negotiable – I love a flare or an active pant right now. Then, the pieces that take everything up a notch: a gorgeous oversized shirt and either a blazer or a bomber jacket. With those foundations, you can go from 6am training to lunch to an afternoon meeting and feel completely put-together at every stop.
Capsule: Have you noticed any trends over the last year or so that are New Zealand-specific? Do Kiwis differ from Aussies in how they shop at Lorna Jane, or are any of your bestsellers different?
Lorna: New Zealand women are absolute masters of layering – they invest in outerwear in a way that is so considered and so chic. Our thermal leggings are perennial bestsellers over winter, and this year we’ve introduced a thermal flare that I just know the NZ community is going to love. Knitwear has always performed beautifully there, as have our beanies and puffer styles as the temperature drops. There’s a real appreciation for pieces that are both functional and beautiful – which is very much the Lorna Jane sweet spot. Kiwi women know what they want and they invest wisely. I have so much respect for that.
Capsule: What excites you the most about this collection – and what you have coming up?
Lorna: What excites me most is that for the first time, I feel like we are truly designing for a woman’s whole life. Not just one part of it. This collection is a love letter to every version of her – the woman who trains hard, who leads boldly, who rests deeply, who dresses with intention. Looking ahead, I’m excited to keep pushing into that elevated lifestyle space, to keep surprising our community with pieces they didn’t know they needed until they try them. We have some beautiful things coming – new fabrications, new silhouettes, new collaborations. But more than anything, I’m excited about what it all represents: Lorna Jane has always believed that Active Living is the best life. Now we get to show women what that looks like from morning to night, Monday to Sunday. That’s a pretty wonderful thing to be building.
Our favourite pieces of the collection:
Effortless Blazer $290 and Effortless Tailored Pant $150
Valentina Boucle Denim Jacket $265 and Valentina Boucle Denim Pants $215
Sideline Jacket $235 and The Everything Winter Warmer Pants $205