Second stage of judging completed

Media release from WOW Ltd

Second stage of judging completed

Amidst the music and performance of a full dress rehearsal, 158 entries in the international design competition, the World of WearableArt™ Awards, went before the judges in Wellington, this weekend.

By late Saturday afternoon, the second of the three stages of judging, was complete. The judges had formed some firm opinions about which garments they’re considering for the 39 awards and $165,000 in prize money on awards night – Friday, September 27.

WOW’s Founder, Dame Suzie Moncrieff, is on the judging panel every year and, for the 2013 show, the guest judges are renowned New Zealand sculptor and artist Christine Hellyar, whose work has been exhibited around the world and is included in most public collections throughout New Zealand; and one of New Zealand’s foremost fashion designers who is the founder and creative director of the leading label Nom*D, Margarita Robertson.

And, in Miramar on Saturday, they were joined by the Creative Director and co-founder of WETA, Sir Richard Taylor, to give his impressions of the garments entered in the newest category in the competition; the WETA Costume and Film Section.

To create a garment for this category, the designers were told the theme was ‘Crazy Curiosities of the Creature Carnival,’ and the brief read: “Strange surreal characters meet in a world without time; a place where dreams and nightmares come to life – from the beautiful to the bizarre, mysterious to the grotesque - create a costume that crosses the boundaries of wearable art and film.”

The 28 garments in the WETA Section were “a giddying carousel of unearthly delight,” to Sir Richard.

“This year’s collection has brought forth the most wondrous and warped visions from the creature carnival,” he said, after Saturday’s judging.

There are seven categories in the show. The third and final judging takes place when the first full performance of the WOW® show is staged at the TSB Arena on Wellington’s waterfront.

WOW® season opens on Thursday, September 26, and the winners are announced at the Awards Night on Friday, September 27. In all, 12 shows will be performed through to October 6.

www.worldofwearableart.com

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