Who Is Lorna Jane Clarkson? Designer Fined $5 Million For Anti-COVID Clothes

Lorna Jane Clarkson's Australian activewear brand has been fined $5 Million for its false claims about "antivirus" wear by the Federal Court of Australia on Friday.

The company named Lorna Jane made claims that the LJ Shield Activewear was “antivirus activewear” and could protect wearers from coronavirus. The claims were made on their website and were aired on in-store signs along with social media and emails.

Rod Sims, Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said in his statement, "This was dreadful conduct as it involved making serious claims regarding public health when there was no basis for them."

Bill Clarkson, Lorna Jane's husband said that their trusted supplier let the company down. He added that "They led us to believe the technology behind LJ Shield was being sold elsewhere in Australia, the USA, China and Taiwan and that it was both antibacterial and antiviral."

Who Is Lorna Jane Clarkson?

• Lorna Jane Clarkson is an Australian fashion designer, entrepreneur and author.
• Clarkson was raised by a single mother who migrated to Australia when Clarkson was 10-years-old along with two of her sisters.
• Clarkson wanted to become a journalist but she was reportedly discouraged by her parent and hence she pursued her education to become a dental technician.
• During her study, she started teaching aerobics at night. She was crowned as Miss Cairns after running her first Marathon where she met her husband, Bill Clarkson.
• Lorna Jane wanted to distinguish herself from the college she was working with who had the same name and hence started going by the name Lorna Jane and also went forward to name her company as the same.
• Lorna Jane decided to sew her own clothes and this also became the motivation to start her own company along with her husband Bill Clarkson.
• She was also a part of the "Rich Women" list of the thirty wealthiest Australian women. Her fortune was reported to be $50 million in 2014.