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We are excited to reveal that 103 designers from 20 countries and regions around the world have been selected as the finalists for this year’s World of WearableArt Show!
From 29 September to 16 October this year, the capital city will host Aotearoa’s most spectacular theatrical stage production, showcasing the finalist entries from around the world, with an audience of over 60,000 people expected to attend.
The finalist designers will vie for awards and prizes across three recurring sections – Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open – as well as three new sections – Architecture, Elizabethan Era and Monochromatic.
WOW Founder and resident judge, Dame Suzie Moncrieff says, “I feel incredibly privileged to witness such amazing and inspiring creativity from our designers.”
“The entries are of an exceptionally high standard once again and selecting award winners from such a strong group of finalists will not be an easy task for the judges.”
“The skills, wide range of materials and techniques used in creating their work is breath-taking and I look forward to seeing the garments individually choreographed in all their glory on the WOW stage in September. Our audience can expect to be wowed!”
WOW Competition Director Heather Palmer says, “despite the very obvious challenges of these times, WOW continues to connect with designers from every corner of the globe and we’ve seen this reflected in the extensive range of countries that we’ve received entries from.”
“I have been delighted to see our designers continue to push the boundaries of innovation and invention by creating works of art with extraordinary materials.”
“The passion and determination shown by designers has been humbling and makes us prouder than ever to be offering this unique creative platform for their works of wearable art to be seen.”
The first round of judging took place between 9 and 11 July 2021. This year’s judges include WOW Founder and resident judge, Dame Suzie Moncrieff, designer and co-founder of Zambesi, Elisabeth Findlay, and acclaimed New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson.
Alongside the main judging panel for 2022 is International Guest Judge, Academy Award-winning costume designer, Alexandra Byrne, The Residency Experience Award Judge, Swedish-born fashion activist and celebrity stylist, BÅkerlund and Weta Workshop Emerging Designer Award Judge, co-founder, CEO and Creative Director of Weta Workshop, Sir Richard Taylor.
The finalist entries will go through two further stages of judging, where they are assessed on stage, before debuting on opening night of the WOW Show on 29 September.
Bethany Cordwell
Hanna Smith
R. R. Pascoe (two finalist entries)
Tara Morelos, Nelia Justo, Judit Szukacs (three finalist designers in a design team)
Tatiana Sheverda
Yanlin Zhu
Sun Ye, Ma Yuru, Zhou Honglei (three finalist designers in a design team)
Maria Friese
Leung Wing Tung
Lo Louise Tam
Leung Wing Tung
Lo Louise Tam
Devika Kumar
Jayati Saraf (two finalist entries)
Monica Ivena
Monica Ivena
Natsuki Hanyu
Saar Snoek
Allison MacKay, Gabrielle Edmonds (two finalist designers in a design team)
Anna Potton-Grapes
Brittany Glassey
Bronwyn Olley
Carolyn Gibson (one finalist entry in her own right)
Carolyn Gibson, Joelle March (two finalist designers in a design team)
Christopher Davis
Cushla O’Connell
Dinah Walker, Mark Walker (two finalist designers in a design team)
Donna Dinsdale
Erna Van Der Wat, Karl Van Der Wat (two finalist designers in a design team)
Fi Colston, Bruce Mahalski (two finalist designers in a design team)
Gill Saunders
Ian Bernhard (two finalist entries in his own right)
Ian Bernhard, Jaimie Hutton (two finalist designers in a design team)
Jackie Butterworth
Janet Reid
Janice Elliott
Jayne Boesley
Jean Valentine
Jenni Carlton
Jennifer Lambert
Jenny Sutton
Jill Benson
Jo Marie Odgers
Kate MacKenzie
Kelly Kim Harrouk
Liz Ritchie
Luiz Fernando Sereno Penna
Lynda O’Rorke
Lyndal Linton, Brett Linton, Harvey Linton (three finalist designers in a design team)
Mary Turner
Meg Latham
Natasha Macaulay
Oliver Cain
Philippa Stichbury
Rodney Leong
Ruth Arkless
Sharon Painter-Arps
Shelley Scott, Ashley Scott, Jaime Scott (three finalist designers in a design team)
Stephanie Cossens
Steve Brown, Conor Brown (two finalist designers in a design team)
Taralee Freeman, Marie Wright, Zach McDonald-Wright (three finalist designers in a design team)
Tracey Murphy
Vanessa-Amy Greenwood
Vicky Robertson (one finalist entry in her own right)
Vicky Robertson, Ula Rademeyer (two finalist designers in a design team)
Edyta Jermacz
Nika Danielska
Antoaneta Tica
Cecilio Castrillo (three finalist entries)
Cai Min Yan, Liu Yan-Ling (two finalist designers in a design team)
Chuang Yu-Hsuan
Claire Lee
Anna Zigel
Agnes Olah
Freyja Sewell
Colleen Muscha, Christina Marullo (two finalist designers in a design team)
David Walker
Dawn Mostow, Ben Gould (two finalist designers in a design team)
Julian Hartzog, Sandy Schwartz (two finalist designers in a design team)
Miodrag Guberinic
Sherri Madison
Veritée Hill
Thao Nguyen
Discover the World of WearableArt through our hub. Be inspired by breathtaking creations in this extraordinary fusion of art and fashion with profiles of past WOW designers, and stay updated with the latest news and updates for the annual WOW Show.