The factory was located in Doveton Street South and made high quality design clothing.e. lucas & co, doveton street south, building, manufacturing, commerical, ballarat

The Ballarat Branch Committee and girls of Lucas & Co. raised the money for the memorial window in Good Chapel of Saint Peter which is dedicated to the men of the Jervis Bay and all Merchant seamen who gave their lives in the world wars. To see a picture of the actual window go to VC database Mtsv record 0035.Regionally based support across Victoria provided crucial funds to the Mission for Seafarer welfare, activities and operations. This support was very often sourced either through a country Auxiliary group based in places such as Ballarat, Camperdown, Hamilton, Bendigo and other similar towns or centres. Op shops and CWA, Church Auxiliaries and other similar charities mainly operated by the womenfolk of the respective communities, recognized the vital importance of 19th and 20th C Merchant and Military Naval services to the development of Australia. The cumulative local fundraising efforts helped maintain the work of the Coastal based Mission services to seafarers.Rectangular brass plaque mounted to wood board.This window was erected by the Ballarat Branch of the Victoria Missions to Seamen and the Lucas Girls 1946.ballarat, lucas girls, lucas & co., 1946, window, plaque, ww2, world war 2, textile company, lucas clothing factory

Founded in Ballarat, Victoria in 1888 by Eleanor Lucas, by the mid-20th century, the Lucas Clothing Factory employed hundreds of local workers (popularly known as the "Lucas Girls"). The company was a pioneer in Australian textiles, producing the country's very first knitted nylon tricot and manufacturing luxury Vanity Fair lingerie under license for the domestic market. As Lucas shifted from utility wear and intimate apparel into upscale daytime and evening wear during the 1940s and 1950s, they launched specialised fashion lines. The Jill Heriote line was created as their signature high-end ready-to-wear and cocktail range. The line became widely celebrated for its elite tailoring, structure, and use of both premium local and imported fabrics Designers working under this line, such as Eve Ogilvie, translated sophisticated European aesthetic trends directly to the Australian market..This garment represents a pinnacle of mid-century regional Australian fashion manufacturing. Operating from Ballarat, Victoria, E. Lucas & Co. utilised elite local designers to compete directly with imported European couture houses. The gown showcases the firm’s pioneering expertise in fine, permanent textile pleating, applied here to luxury pure silk rather than everyday synthetics.This bias-cut silk and lace cocktail dress sold under the label 'Jill Heriote' for the House of Lucas, Ballarat, features a narrow waist and a dramatically flared skirt. The overdress is constructed from intricate, black imitation Valenciennes machine-made lace. It layers over a cream synthetic underdress that peeks through the openwork and extends structurally past the hemline. The bodice is designed with delicate shoulder straps leading into a sweetheart neckline. Its form-fitting structure showcases panels of finely pleated black silk, creating texture across the bust. Below, the full skirt alternates between sheer black lace segments and contrasting horizontal bands of smooth black silk.Label" 'LUCAS / Jill Heriote / in pure silk fabric'jill heriote, house of lucas -- ballarat (vic.), fashion -- 1950s, cocktail dresses, manufacturing -- ballarat