A Career Biography

Jane studied graphic design and fabric design at RMIT University in Melbourne and has a Degree in Art and Design. After a brief spell freelancing in fabric design, she was appointed as the womenswear designer for Sportscraft .

Jane always had an ambition to create her own fashion brand. This was realized in 1988 when the first Jane Lamerton range was launched nationally in department stores and boutiques. Since then, her design handwriting has maintained a consistent, single minded focus: stylish clothing for women who enjoy fashion, who appreciate quality and who look for something new and just a little different. Jane has gained significant retail experience, selling and promoting her own ranges. She designed the fit out for her own retail stores and created the JL advertising campaigns. She is the personality behind the brand, and has built loyalty and trust with her customers, who have always related to her through that genuine connection. Jane has won five Fashion Industry of Australia Awards, plus the Woolmark Award For Excellence. In 1992, she was appointed to the Board of Wool International, the industry body established to market Australia’s wool stockpile. She was also a member of the Course Advisory Committee of Art and Design at RMIT from 1996 to 2000.

In 2005, Jane decided that after twenty years as the head of her own family business, it was time to take a new direction. She and Myer created a partnership, with the Jane Lamerton brand becoming the first Myer Exclusive Brand (MEB), stocked nationally in all Myer stores. The JL brand at Myer grew over the next 14 years to include not only JL Womenswear, Petites and Plus, but also JL Sleepwear and JL Homewares with ranges across tabletop, bedlinen and bath.

In 2019, Jane transferred her brand in a licensing agreement to Harris Scarfe. Jane continues to design every piece of her womenswear range, including fabrics and prints and approve all fit samples prior to production.Jane’s passion for design and experience in clothing manufacture, marketing and retail has also seen her design school uniforms through her company Black Sheep Australia.

BSA places emphasis on the design of a school uniform becoming an integral part of the Schools image and marketing. Acknowledging the history of the school and honouring the crest and colours is a priority. Creating a uniform the students are proud to wear, that has a consistent handwriting across both formal and sport is essential in reinforcing the school’s distinct identity. Jane understands the importance of helping young people feel confident and comfortable, and how fabrics need to perform under harsh treatment. Also - the way children bodies change and evolve from Prep to Year 12. If these considerations are met, the students will wear their uniform with pride.

Jane and BSA have designed uniforms for: St Michael’s Grammar, Korowa Girls School, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar, St Leonard’s College, Mentone Girls Grammar, Carey Baptist Grammar Sport, Ivanhoe Girls Grammar, Ravenswood School for Girls, Kambala School, The Friend’s School and Fahan School.

Aside from her business activities, Jane is a member of the National Gallery of Victoria Women’s Association. The NGVWA supports the Gallery by raising funds through various events to fund art acquisitions for the NGV collection and fund scholarships for NGV curators and Encouragement Awards for Victorian College of the Arts students.

Jane divides her time between Melbourne and her home on the Mornington Peninsula. She is a committed Essendon Football Club supporter and in 2019 joined the committee of the Essendon Women's Network, the oldest and only Women’s Coterie in AFL. After 6 years andbecoming Chair of the EWN, Jane stepped aside last year to focus on travel, family and design projects.