Fashion entrepreneur Keri Craig-Lee OAM has been recognised for her pioneering contributions to Australian fashion and business during the 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame induction, with her journey beginning in Fortitude Valley.
Recognition at the 2025 Hall of Fame Ceremony
The 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame ceremony acknowledged individuals and organisations who have made significant contributions to the state’s economic and social development. Among the six inductees was Keri Craig-Lee OAM, celebrated for nearly five decades of leadership in both the fashion and agribusiness sectors.
The Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 through a partnership between the State Library of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, and the Queensland Library Foundation. It honours those who have provided outstanding public value through ethical and impactful business leadership.
From Fortitude Valley to Fashion Fame
Born into a Brisbane fashion family, Craig-Lee’s early years were spent immersed in the operations of her parents’ clothing label, Fifth Avenue Frocks. Based in Fortitude Valley, the family factory doubled as her after-school study space and early training ground. From a young age, she provided input on design decisions and learned the fundamentals of retail from her parents, Peter and Dianne Craig.
After graduating from St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, she took part in a Rotary exchange program in the United States. During that year, she completed a technical fashion course, an experience she later described as transformative.
In 1977, at just 19, Craig-Lee launched her own eveningwear label. Her debut collection—36 garments—achieved national distribution immediately, a rare feat made possible in part by her family’s established retail network. A year later, she opened her first boutique in Brisbane Arcade.
By the early 1980s, she had received several awards including three Supreme Awards from the Retailers Association of Queensland. In 1987, she became the inaugural and only female inductee into the association’s Hall of Fame. She remains the only recipient of its Award of Excellence.
International Exposure and National Legacy
A defining moment in Craig-Lee’s career came in 1984, when she was commissioned to design and coordinate the wedding garments for Elton John and Renate Blauel. The brief—completed in just four days—included the bridal gown, bridesmaids’ dresses, trousseau, floral arrangements, Elton’s accessories, and venue styling. The high-profile event propelled her label to international attention, with global media coverage showcasing her work.
She continued to build her fashion empire throughout the 1980s and 1990s, exporting to markets across Asia, the Pacific, New Zealand, and the United States. In 1983, she opened the Keri Craig Emporium in Brisbane Arcade, a retail and hospitality hybrid offering fashion, homewares, and high tea. The Emporium, still operating today, remains managed by her family.
Partnership in Business and Life
In 1986, Craig-Lee married Trevor Lee. In 1995, the couple co-founded Australian Country Choice (ACC), which grew into the nation’s largest privately owned vertically integrated beef supply chain. Keri played a key role in shaping ACC’s branding and governance, complementing Trevor’s operational leadership.
The 2025 Hall of Fame induction marks the first time a married couple has been recognised separately for their leadership across distinct industries—fashion and agriculture.
Craig-Lee has also contributed significantly beyond business, holding ambassadorial roles for Brisbane, Expo 88, and the Mater Hospitals Trust. In 2017, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia, and in 2024 she was named a Queensland Great. In 2018, she joined the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School.
Her career has been documented in her 2017 coffee table book, Keri Craig: The Label, The Lady, The Lifestyle, which offers a retrospective look at her impact on Australian fashion and business.
Enduring Industry Impact
With more than 50 fashion awards, hundreds of staff employed, and decades of retail innovation, Craig-Lee is widely regarded as one of the key figures in Queensland’s fashion history. While often described as “Queensland’s Empress of Style”, her approach remains grounded in work ethic, timing, and family support.
Her influence on Brisbane’s inner-city retail sector, particularly through her long-standing presence in the Brisbane Arcade, continues to shape the local industry. Fortitude Valley, where her journey began, remains a symbolic point of origin for her legacy.
Published 30-July-2025
