The World of WearableArt™ (WOW) Awards Show is New Zealand’s largest theatrical production and the world’s leading wearable art competition. WOW attracts talent from across the globe and is a not-to-be-missed event for around 60,000 people, as well as a coveted competition for international designers working at the cutting edge of fashion, art, design and costume, alongside students and first-time entrants.
The 2022 World of WearableArt™ Awards were announced at Wellington’s TSB Arena, with the Supreme WOW Award going -for a second time- to Hawke’s Bay artist Kate MacKenzie.
MacKenzie’s coveted success comes from her garment Wanton Widow, which also claimed victory in the Open section.
MacKenzie is among 21 award winners in the 2022 World of WearableArt Awards Competition, sharing in more than $185,000 of prizes across three recurring sections, Aotearoa, Avant-garde, and Open, as well as three new sections in 2022: Architecture, Elizabethan Era, and Monochromatic.
88 finalist entries by 103 designers representing 20 countries and regions around the world are being represented in this year's showcase, coming alive on the TSB Arena stage for the next three weeks. The show includes over 100 dancers, kapa haka performers (Ngāti Pōneke) and aerialists, as well as spectacular headline performances by New Zealand musicians Estère, and Sharn Te Pou.
Estère at 2022 WOW Awards Show
The first round of judging to select finalists took place in 2021 by a panel comprising WOW Founder and resident judge Dame Suzie Moncrieff, designer and co-founder of Zambesi Elisabeth Findlay, and acclaimed New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson. In addition, they have been joined by International Guest Judge, award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne; The Residency Experience Judge, Swedish-born fashion activist and celebrity stylist B Åkerlund; and Wētā Workshop Emerging Designer Award Judge, co-founder, CEO and Creative Director of Wētā Workshop Sir Richard Taylor.
“We are in awe of the designer’s resourcefulness in use of the vintage china cabinet and Singer sewing machine drawers. It perfectly captures what we mean when we say wearable art. It is refined, sculptural and tells a story,” the judges said of the Supreme WOW Award winner.
WOW contributes nearly $28m to the local economy in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, with around 35,000 guests travelling from out of town.
WOW 2022 runs until October 16. Tickets are on sale now.
