The 2025 World of WearableArt (WOW) Awards have been handed out, with Dawn Mostow and Ben Gould from the US taking home the Supreme WOW Award for their mind-bending creation, Tsukumogami.
This isn’t their first rodeo—the duo have been wowing the judges since 2017 with multiple entries and awards, but this is their biggest prize yet. Their win was announced at Wellington’s TSB Arena, where 85 finalists from 17 countries battled it out for a prize pool of over $200,000.
A Tribute to Japanese Art
Tsukumogami, a masterpiece crafted from intricate latex, is a moving tribute to Japanese culture. It’s a reimagining of two ancient blue ceramic vases, complete with a living spirit, and topped with delicate blue and white ikebana flower sculptures.
The judges were spellbound, calling it a blend of past and future. “Radically innovative and future forward, while at the same time paying exquisite homage to centuries-old artistic and cultural traditions. A work that captivates the eye and refuses to let it go.”
The idea came from Mostow’s time living in Japan and the belief that everyday objects can become imbued with spirit after centuries of use. They also drew inspiration from kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with golden seams, making them more valuable than before.
An Emotional Farewell
Wellingtonian and 30-time WOW finalist, Fifi Colston, took the runner-up prize for her piece, Meine Erste Liebe. This one was inspired by a tragic 19th-century love story between a German botanical artist and his wife.
The judges said it’s “a work that takes your breath away. A living archive of hundreds of years of artistic technique and a divinely composed ode to love, loss and art.”
In a bittersweet moment, Colston announced that this would be her last entry, marking the end of a career spanning back to 1990. She’s been a constant fixture on the WOW stage, and we’re sad to see her go.
Pushing Boundaries and Telling Stories
It wasn’t just the big winners who stole the show. WOW Head of Competition, Sarah Nathan, praised the extraordinary level of creativity this year.
“As well as many familiar faces, this year we’ve welcomed back incredible designers returning after long absences, alongside first-time entrants achieving brilliant results. It’s exciting to see the wearable artform continue to thrive, grow and push boundaries across craft, storytelling and materials.”
The judging panel, which included WOW Founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff, ceramic sculptor Virginia Leonard, and fashion designer Lindah Lepou, were blown away by the level of detail.
“Up close, the intricacy and beauty is off-the-scale. You can feel the thought, the labour, and the heart behind every detail. There’s been exceptionally diverse storytelling across all entries, and the 2025 competition has proven again that WOW is a global reflection of humanity through the eyes of incredible artists.”
Wētā Workshop Outstanding Design Award
Cushla O’Connell from Canterbury won for her garment, Worn Landscape, an image made from over 6,000 up-cycled buttons. Wētā Workshop founder and CEO Sir Richard Taylor said the piece is “imbued with the spirit of a Hayao Miyazaki-inspired world.”
Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award
This award goes to the garment that best embodies the spirit of WOW, and it went to Jan Kerr from Ōtaki for Beeing Mary Bumby, a celebration of New Zealand’s earliest bee-keeper. Dame Suzie Moncrieff herself called it “a treasure trove of unpredictable delights and depths.”
Te Tohu Toi Rākei
This inaugural award celebrates excellence in Māori art. It was given to Anna Hayes-Moeau (Ngati Kahungunu ki te Wairoa) for her work, Ko au ko Harakeke, Ko Harakeke ko au. Judges Karl Chitham and Isaac Te Awa said the piece “elevates traditional materials and techniques with exquisite attention to detail.”
The Tall Poppy Real Estate People’s Choice Award is still open for voting and will be announced early October.
2025 WORLD OF WEARABLEART™ AWARD WINNERS
Supreme WOW Award
- Tsukumogami, Dawn Mostow & Ben Gould, United States
Supreme WOW Award Runner-up
- Meine Erste Liebe, Fifi Colston, Wellington, New Zealand
Section winners
Open Section
- Winner: Meine Erste Liebe, Fifi Colston, Wellington, New Zealand
- Runner-up: The Music Within, De Lamby Wulff, Australia
Avant-garde Section
- Winner: Void, Hung Cho Hei Joe, Hong Kong Design Institute, Hong Kong, China
- Runner-up: Inside Out, Stephanie Johnson, Ireland
Aotearoa Section
- Winner: Worn Landscape, Cushla O’Connell, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Runner-up: Whare Mīere, Felicity Collier, Timaru, New Zealand
Air Section
- Winner: Wau Bulan, Faris Fairusham, Victoria University of Wellington, Malaysia
- Runner-up: Lionfly, Giancarlo Bello, Switzerland
Neon Section
- Winner: Drift, Katherine Bertram, New Zealand
- Runner-up: Straw-ry Eyed, Bethany Cordwell, Australia
Myths & Legends Section
- Winner: Tsukumogami, Dawn Mostow & Ben Gould, United States
- Runner-up: Don’t Be Afraid, Thao Nguyen, Vietnam
Special awards
- Ko te Tohu Toi Rākei / Toi Rākei Award: Ko Au Ko Harakeke, Ko Harakeke Ko Au, Anna Hayes-Moeau, Rotorua, New Zealand
- Accor Live Limitless First-time Entrant Award: Invisible Tale, Yu Wang, Beijing Institute of Fashion, Hong Kong, China
- Student Distinction Award: Under _’s Gaze, Everything Magnifies, Yuchen Jiang, Central Saint Martins, United Kingdom
- Sustainability Award: Salome, R.R. Pascoe, Australia
- New Zealand Design Merit Award: First Light, Lindal Linton, Brett Linton & Harvey Linton, Wellington, New Zealand
- Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Merit Award: Loinnir na Mara, Mary McGuinness, Ireland
- Transformation Innovation Award: Astray, Paula Fernandez Mederos, United States
- Wētā Workshop Outstanding Design Award: Worn Landscape, Cushla O’Connell, Lincoln, New Zealand
- Great Journeys New Zealand Designer Development Award: Grandy C, Canada
- Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award: Beeing Mary Bumby, Jan Kerr, Ōtaki, New Zealand
