Keri Craig-Lee inducted into QLD Business Leaders Hall of Fame
67-year-old Australian fashion mainstay Keri Craig-Lee has joined Queensland’s Hall of Fame after five decades in the fashion industry.
The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame recognises those who have made outstanding economic and cultural contributions to the state.
At the 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame dinner on Thursday at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, organisers announced Keri Craig-Lee as one of six new inductees.
Inductees of the milestone 100th cohort include Buderim Ginger, Betty Byrne Henderson AM, Harvey Lister AM, Euan Murdoch and Sunny Queen Australia.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the State Library of Queensland established the Hall of Fame in 2009 to celebrate the state’s business leaders, which now includes 105 members.
Craig-Lee is also a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia and a 2024 Queensland Greats recipient.
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QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil AO said this year’s inductees have helped to shape Queensland’s communities, economies and futures.
“Their journeys offer powerful examples to our students of what is possible across industries and generations, reflecting the dynamism and diversity of our state,” Sheil said.
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM spoke on the ingenuity and resilience of the 2025 cohort.
“The remarkable contributions of the state’s business leaders are captured in State Library’s extensive collection. We are proud to add these extraordinary inductees to that enduring legacy,” McDonald said.
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A fashion pioneer
Craig-Lee has been a pioneer of the Australian fashion industry from a young age, following in the fashion footsteps of her parents, Peter and Dianne Craig who owned the fashion label Fifth Avenue Frocks in Brisbane.
She launched her own eveningwear label at 19, which had national distribution from its first day in operation. Craig-Lee was the first Queensland designer to sell internationally and won her first Retailers Association of Queensland’s Fashion Design Supreme Award at 21 years old.
Craig-Lee’s fashion label grew quickly and garnered a global reputation for elegance and grace. A surprise encounter at her Double Bay store in 1984 catapulted her career, allowing her to build a celebrity clientele.
“The day Elton John walked into my store in Double Bay was my lucky day,” she said.
Craig-Lee then received a commission to design the wedding dress for Renate Blauel, the fiancée of Elton John at the time.
The Keri Craig Emporium in Brisbane has been open since 1983, which her parents and brother Jason still manage today. As part boutique, café and institution, the Emporium is a significant site in Australia’s fashion history.
Craig-Lee said she feels lucky to have worked for so long in the industry that she adores.
“It’s hard work, it’s dedication. I’m fortunate to have had the support of my family, the Queensland press and decades of loyal clientele,” she said.
