Wellington played host to the World of Wearable Arts Awards 2017 on 22 September. There are 37 awards, received by 36 designers from 9 countries. World of Wearable Arts Show’s 2017 judges were Dame Suzie Moncrieff, fashion designer and artist Kerrie Hughes, artist Michel Tuffery, Weta Workshop’s Sir Richard Taylor, Cirque du Soleil’s Valérie Desjardins and David Jones’ Teneille Ferguson. The judging process is in three stages, with garments being assessed in detail, as well as for their performance on stage
SUPREME WORLD OF WEARABLEARTS 2017 AWARD
Awarded to the designer with the garment considered by the judges to be the most exceptional overall.
- Winner: Encapsulate by Rinaldy Yunardi (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Runner-Up: Refuse Refuge by Grace DuVal (Chicago, United States)
DAME SUZIE MONCRIEFF AWARD
Chosen by WOW Founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff as the garment that epitomises the WOW spirit.
- Winner: 222 Buckle Belts by Annina Gull (Zürich, Switzerland)
- Runner-Up: I Want More & More by Yi-Ting Hsieh, Yi-Ting Lai & Pei-Chen Liao (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
SECTION AWARDS
Aotearoa Section
Aotearoa is inspired by New Zealand’s rich cultures and celebrates this extraordinary part of the world. It’s about the power of the land, the spirit of this place, the diverse cultures who live here, and the influence these forces have on design and creativity.
- First: Human Nature by Saar Snoek (Sellingen, Netherlands)
- Second: The Cloak of Piwakawaka by Lisa Vanin (Cambridge, New Zealand)
- Third: Kuini by Kayla Christensen (Wellington, New Zealand)
Avant-garde
Avant-garde is for wearable work of arts that are revolutionary, extravagant and extroverted, but still stylish and made with skill.
- First: Cosmos by Rinaldy Yunardi (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Second: Forte by Chun Yee Chu (Hong Kong, China)
- Third: Reincarnated Goddess by Hei Man Sham (Hong Kong, China)
Weta Workshop: Science Fiction
The winner of this section receives a four-week internship at Academy Award-winning Weta Workshop. The prize includes accommodation and airfares to Wellington, New Zealand.
- First: The Organ Farmer by Fifi Colston (Wellington, New Zealand
- Second: Cordycephila by Svenja (Brisbane, Australia)
- Third: Watcher in the Water by Craig McMillan (Greymouth, New Zealand)
Illumination Illusion: Float, Fly, Flow Section
Illumination Illusion: Float, Fly, Flow uses the magic and illusion of UV lighting, so that the garments appear to float, fly, and flow through the space above the stage.
- First: The Spirit of Waitomo by Maria Tsopanaki & Dimitri Mavinis (London, United Kingdom)
- Second: Morpho in Bloom by Michelle Yeager & Tim Merz (Wyncote, Philadelphia, United States)
- Third: Tears of the Nudibranch by Sarah Seahorse & Luna Aquatica (Melbourne, Australia)
Red Section
Red celebrates the colour of extremes. Red is intense, packed with emotion ranging from passionate love to violence and warfare. All visible surface materials of the garment must be the colour red.
- First: Cube by Adam McAlavey (London, United Kingdom)
- Second: Does This Suit Me? by Kate Fisher (Wellington, New Zealand)
- Third: The Messenger by Dawn Mostow & Lana Crooks (Orting, Washington / Chicago, United States)
Open Section
Open has no thematic boundaries and gives designers complete freedom in concept, construction and materials. This section encourages a high degree of originality and innovation.
- First: Encapsulate by Rinaldy Yunardi (Jakarta, Indonesia)
- Second: The Maw by Baroness Varcra III (New York, United States)
- Third: LunaRorschach by Natasha English & Tatyanna Meharry (Christchurch, New Zealand)
FIRST TIME ENTRANT AWARD
Recognising creativity and innovation in an entry submitted by a first-time entrant.
- Winner: Daisy by Annie Temmink (Charlottesville, Virginia, United States)
- Runner-Up: Existence by Alina Stanila (Reading, United Kingdom)
STUDENT INNOVATION AWARD
Open to all national and international tertiary students.
- Winner: Does This Suit Me? by Kate Fisher (Wellington, New Zealand)
- Runner-Up: Jellyfish in the Sky by Ka Lam Tam (Hong Kong, China)
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
Recognising a designer who demonstrates inventive use of recycled materials in their garment.
- Winner: Refuse Refuge by Grace DuVal (Chicago, United States)
- Runner-Up: Lady Luck by Marjorie Taylor (Eugene, Oregon, United States)
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Recognising the application of the most original and innovative technology to the construction and/or function of the garment.Winner: Labyrinth Gown by Ben Gould & Dawn Mostow (Orting, Washington, United States)
- Winner: Labyrinth Gown by Ben Gould & Dawn Mostow (Orting, Washington, United States)
- Runner-Up: Lux Operon 1.3 by Erica Gray (Gold Coast, Australia)INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
Acknowledging the creativity and excellence of international designers. The overall winning designer also receives a prize to travel to New Zealand when their next entry is selected for the awards.
- Overall Winner: Cambrian Regeneration by Ran Xu (Shanghai, China)
- Americas: Like Nothing I Had Ever Seen Before by Julian Hartzog (Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States)
- Asia: Cambrian Regeneration by Ran Xu (Shanghai, China)
- Australia & Pacific: Mollusca by R.R. Pascoe (Blue Mountains, Australia)
- United Kingdom & Europe: Angel of a Different Kind by Liam Brandon Murray (Derby, United Kingdom)
NEW ZEALAND DESIGN AWARD
Open to all New Zealand entrants.
- The Seeker by Carolyn Gibson (Auckland, New Zealand)
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL INVITED ARTISAN AWARD
Presented to a designer whose entry demonstrates outstanding use of new techniques or technologies, the winner receives $5,000 and a four-week residency at Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, Canada. Flights and accommodation are included.
- Cube by Adam McAlavey (London, United Kingdom)
Full 2017 list: 104 finalist garments by 122 designers from 13 countries.
Australia (7 finalist garments)
- Erica Gray
- Glenys Mann, Sue Coppock & Libby Witchell
- Catherine O’Leary
- R. R. Pascoe
- Sarah Seahorse & Luna Aquatica Svenja (2 entries)
China & Hong Kong (12 finalist garments)Chun Yee Chu
- Chun Yee Chu
- Wenzhi Gao
- Fangyu He
- Tsz Ching Kam
- Tao Long
- Xuancheng Liu & Chang XuLiang Ma
- Liang Ma
- Hei Man Sham
- Ka Lam Tam
- Wing Yan Ng
- Ran Xu
- Mengtong Yang
India (5 finalist garments)Jubinav Chadha
- Jubinav Chadha
- Akhilesh Gupta
- Sandip Jaiswal & Ashish Anand
- Shantanu Singh
- Shantanu Singh & Aryaman Vishnu
Indonesia (2 finalist garments)
- Rinaldy Yunardi (2 entries)
- Malaysia (1 finalist garment)
- Chin San Sze
Netherlands (4 finalist garments)
- Elvira ‘t Hart (2 entries)
- Tiel Janssen
- Saar Snoek
New Zealand (48 finalist garments)
- Ian Bernhard
- Rebecca Bond
- Maree Booth
- Alana Braddon-Parsons, Sophie Smythe & Sarah Cooper Slee
- Beatrice Carlson
- Sue Cederman
- Kayla Christensen
- Fifi Colston
- Lucy Danner
- Martin de Ruyter, Karen Stade & Troy Stade
- Etainia Dagda
- Florence Dosdane
- Janice Elliott
- Natasha English & Tatyanna Meharry
- Kate Fisher
- Naomi Flasher
- Carolyn Gibson
- Ross Hardie & Rachel Hardie
- Amabel Hunting, Diana Albarran Gonzalez & Anke Nienhuis
- Tina Hutchison-Thomas
- Jenny Jack (2 garments)
- Judith Keith
- Rodney Leong
- Lyndal Linton
- Renee Louie
- Hayden Matheson
- Craig McMillan
- Ali Middleton
- Helen Millen
- Jennie MunroToy Murchie & Kas Muller
- Noriko Noda
- Jo Marie Odgers
- Debbie Paton
- Vicky Robertson
- Lynda O’Rorke
- Luiz Fernando Sereno Penna
- Loretta Sloan
- Ann Skelly
- Amelia Taverner & Eleanor Beeden
- Lisa Vanin
- Mike Ward & Jonty Ward
- Keryn Whitney
- Ethan Williams
- Darren WiseIngrid Worrall, Kelly Rose Leece & Sophie McIntyre
- Ingrid Worrall, Kelly Rose Leece & Sophie McIntyre
- Marie Wright & Taralee Freeman
Singapore (3 finalist garments)
- Galina Mihaleva (3 entries)
Spain (1 finalist garment)
- Anna Cortada
Switzerland (1 finalist garment)
- Annina Gull
Taiwan (4 finalist garments)
- Yi-Ting Hsieh, Yi-Ting Lai & Pei-Chen Liao (2 entries)
- Chia Li Hong
- Pei-Yu Hsu
United Kingdom (6 finalist garments)
- Gayane Arzumanova & Yui Jiang
- Adam McAlavey
- Liam Brandon Murray
- Alina Stanila
- Maria Tsopanaki & Dimitri Mavinis
- Sara Whetherly
United States (10 finalist garments)
- Lynn Christiansen
- Grace DuVal
- Ben Gould & Dawn Mostow
- Julian Hartzog
- Dawn Mostow & Lana Crooks
- Jessica RowellMarjorie Taylor
- Marjorie Taylor
- Annie Temmink
- Baroness Varcra III
- Michelle Yeager & Tim Merz
Get your World of WearableArts 2017 tickets now at worldofwearableart.com
