The new Brisbane CBD Birkenstock store is located at Brisbane Arcade, 117 Adelaide Street. The Arcade has been heritage-listed since 1924 and has long housed fashion retailers and artisan jewellers.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
The brand stated the location aligns with its longstanding focus on craftsmanship. The opening marks Birkenstock’s first official store in Queensland.
According to company information, the Brisbane CBD site operates as a partner store. The addition brings the brand’s total store count to four across Australia’s east coast. The Sydney store is also listed as a partner store, while two other locations are operated directly by the company.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
Media Launch And Public Activation
The store opening was marked by a media evening held earlier in February 2026. Invited guests were given a preview of the retail space, with archived Birkenstock pieces displayed as part of the event.
A two-day public activation followed at Queen Street Mall. The activation included a branded claw machine and complimentary refreshments. Visitors were also offered vouchers, foot care products and tote bags during the promotion.
Photo Credit: Birkenstock/LinkedIn
Acquisition Background And National Expansion
The Brisbane CBD Birkenstock opening follows the acquisition of Birkenstock Australia Pty. Ltd., the brand’s long-standing distributor. The transaction was finalised by the end of October 2025.
Birkenstock Australia has operated since the 1990s and employs around 60 staff. For the financial year ending June 30, 2025, the business recorded annual revenue of $88.6 million. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, operates an online store, and maintains a distribution network of more than 300 business-to-business partners.
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.
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.
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.
Photo Credit: QUT/YouTube
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.
Photo Credit: QUT/YouTube
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.
