Dunedin fashion leader, fundraiser and founder of the Vanity Walk Modelling School and Agency, Margaret Farry-Williams, has died.
She was a well-known figure in Dunedin’s fashion industry and the founder of Vanity Walk Modelling School and Agency, which she ran from 1965 to 2006.
It was established for young women seeking to become models, but opened up to men as it grew in popularity.
The school held many fundraisers for her favourite charities, including Women’s Refuge, the Cancer Society and Save the Children Fund, and was estimated to have raised over $1 million.
In 1986, she produced the Parade in Aid event at Dunedin Town Hall which raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Save the Children Fund.
She was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the fashion industry and charitable fundraising last year.
Mrs Farry-Williams moved to Auckland in 2012 to be with family.
She died after a long illness.
