Clarke was born in Auckland on 9 August 1945 to a Scottish father and Māori mother.
[1] At the age of 18, he went to work for the British couturier Hardy Amies as a designer of ready-to-wear for five years, before going on a tour of India.
[2] On his return to London, he launched his ready-to-wear boutique Luke, on the King's Road, Chelsea.
Griggs considered Clarke to be one of the very few notable designers of the time, praising his ability to make attractive garments that followed the "big, baggy and bulky" multi-layered fashions of 1977–78.
[3] The ensemble she chose was a printed cotton tunic, skirt and leggings, worn in combination with a black leather skirt and coat, which represented Clark's focus on very simply shaped, versatile mix-and-match separates for the career woman.