Michal McKay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michal Louise McKay (née: Walker; 23 August 1942 – 16 March 2024),[1] was a New Zealand journalist and fashion editor.
McKay was born on 23 August 1942 in Wellington, New Zealand. McKay was the daughter of Bill and Paddy Walker.[2] She grew up in Christchurch as her father recovered from tuberculosis at the Hanmer Sanitorium.[3][4]
Career
As a child, McKay modelled for the Milne & Choyce department store and was photographed alongside her mother for L'Officiel.[2] Bernard Leser (founder of Vogue Australia and later president of Condé Nast) served as a "mentor and guide" to McKay from a young age.[2][5]
As a teenager she joined The New Zealand Herald as a cadet reporter and worked as a model.[2][3]
In 1964, she replaced Marie Stuttard as fashion and beauty editor of Vogue New Zealand.[2] However, before she took over the role she completed a three-month internship at British Vogue,[6] McKay was sent there by New Zealand Vogue editor-in-chief Sheila Scotter to be "Voguerised".[2] In 1967,[6] she moved to London and was appointed fashion and beauty editor at the British edition of Good Housekeeping.[2] She often travelled to the London fashion shows with Anna Wintour and Jennifer Hocking.[2]
In 1973 she became associate editor at Vogue Australia.[3] In the late 1970s, she served as marketing and development director of Country Road.[3] McKay later became design director for Norma Tullo and Carla Zampatti.[2] McKay also worked in brand development and marketing for Beymen and Sportsgirl. She served as fashion and beauty editor for The Australian Women's Weekly.[2] McKay returned to London join Good Housekeeping as deputy editor.[3][2]
In 1985, McKay was appointed editor of the New Zealand Woman's Weekly.[3] Under her leadership the magazine was given an "educational uplift" and moved upmarket, however, circulation dropped and she resigned from the magazine in 1987.[7][8] She returned to London and joined Estée Lauder.[8]
McKay joined Vogue Singapore in 1996 as editor-in-chief. The magazine closed from its January 1997 issue due to the Asian Financial Crisis.[9][10]
In 2005, McKay returned to New Zealand, following the invitiation of Fairfax Media to edit New Zealand House & Garden.[2] McKay was appointed editorial director of New Zealand House & Garden and Cuisine.[11] In 2009, McKay founded Maiki, a creative communications consultancy, through the firm she would consult the Royal New Zealand Ballet.[2] In 2013, she became a columnist at Viva, a New Zealand Herald fashion supplement.[11]
McKay moved to Havelock North in 2015 and became a committee member for World Child Cancer Charity Trust and the Hawkes Bay Decorative and Fine Arts Society.[2] From 2016 until her death, McKay was an editor and contributor at Bay Buzz.[12][13] McKay was a trustee of the New Zealand Fashion Museum.[2]