Vinka Lucas, of Auckland, MNZM for services to the fashion industry and design
Vinka Lucas began her career with a small dressmakers business in Hamilton. She moved her business to Auckland and, with her husband, established New Zealand’s first bridal magazine, ‘Bridal Annual’. Further publications followed, and she established a pattern-making service, which was coupled with the wholesale of the fabrics and laces she used to create her collections. These innovations grew the Maree de Maru label into a household name. Mrs Lucas brought New Zealand design to international attention via her Air New Zealand airhostess uniforms and costumes for international pageants. Her work is held in major collections nationally, and she is a key subject of scholarly research on New Zealand fashion.