The 2022 World of WearableArt™ (WOW) Awards have been announced at Wellington’s TSB Arena, with the Supreme WOW Award going to Hawke’s Bay artist Kate MacKenzie – the second time she has been bestowed the coveted top prize.
MacKenzie is among 21 award winners in the 2022 World of WearableArt Awards Competition, in which more than NZD$185,000 of prize money was on offer, across three recurring sections, Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, as well as three new sections in 2022: Architecture, Elizabethan Era and Monochromatic.
WOW Competition Director Heather Palmer says, “We have been waiting for an incredibly long time to share the work of our 2022 finalist designers with the world and finally we can give each of the garments their moment to shine on the WOW stage. To see the passion, innovation and dedication of this year’s finalists is incredibly affirming and it is heartening to see the wearable art movement around the globe remains alive and well. We celebrate the achievement of this year’s finalists and also look ahead to the 2023 Competition with much anticipation!”
WOW is New Zealand’s most spectacular theatrical stage production.
The 2022 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.
SUPREME WOW AWARD and Open Section
Wanton Widow, Kate MacKenzie, New Zealand ($30,000)
Runner-up: Fera Dei, Fifi Colston and Bruce Mahalski, New Zealand ($15,000)
SECTION WINNERS
Aotearoa Section
Fera Dei, Fifi Colston and Bruce Mahalski, New Zealand ($6,000)
Avant-garde Section
Documental, Bethany Cordwell, Australia ($6,000)
Monochromatic Section
Life, Sun Ye, Ma Yuru and Zhou Honglei, China ($6,000)
Elizabethan Era Section
Madame Paon Doré, Veritée Hill, United States ($6,000)
Architecture Section
Hidden Layers, Anna Weszelovszky, Hungary ($6,000)
Also after the audience voting Hidden Layers by Hungarian designer Anna Weszelovszky the winner of the ”Stuff People’s Choice Award for the 2022 World of WearableArt Awards Show” season.
You can find the full list of winners is here.
The judging panel is led by WOW Founder and Resident Judge, Dame Suzie Moncrieff, and this year she will be joined by acclaimed New Zealand sculptor, Jeff Thomson, and co-founder of renowned fashion brand Zambesi, Elisabeth Findlay.
Alongside the main judging panel for 2022 is our International Guest Judge, Academy Award-winning costume designer, Alexandra Byrne; The Residency Experience Award Judge, Swedish-born fashion activist and celebrity stylist, B Akerlund; and the Weta Workshop Emerging Designer Award Judge, co-founder, CEO and Creative Director of Weta Workshop, Sir Richard Taylor.
Of the Supreme WOW Award winner, the Judges said, “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.”
!!! WOW ANNOUNCEMENT
The World of WearableArt™ (WOW) Awards Opening the registration for creators that want to participate to the next edition.
The online entry process for the 2023 Competition is now open. From that date, you will be able to begin completing the online entry process steps. This process consists of three steps that require you to supply various information by specific dates and deadline.
In 2023, there are six worlds or section themes for designers to be inspired from when entering the Competition. This includes three recurring sections; Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, and three sections, Gold, Mars & Beyond and Bizarre Bra, that are unique to 2023.
The Competition is internationally renowned and attracts entries from over 40 countries. Whether you’re entering to design free from commercial restraint, to add to your student portfolio or to push the limits of your imagination, the World of WearableArt Awards Competition offers you a truly unique creative outlet.
As well as a total prize pool of over $185,000 (NZD), the Competition offers you the chance to experience exclusive residencies and internships with global creative companies, experiment with new techniques and technologies and build on professional portfolios of designer work.
World of WearableArt is proud to profile and promote our design community and their breathtaking works of wearable art through our social channels, via national and international media outlets, and by organising exclusive exhibitions and photoshoots.
Find out more about each of the awards and prizes that are available as part of the World of WearableArt Awards Competition. READ MORE+
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