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2024

The winners of the 2024 WOW Competition will be announced at the WOW Awards Night on Friday 27 September.

Please come back soon to find out about this year’s incredible winners.

2023 WOW Show Beyond Awards Night
On one level, the World of WearableArt is the most lavish catwalk show in the world. On another level, it’s an art exhibition blown up to epic proportions. And on yet another level, it’s theatre at its finest; it’s as close as New Zealand gets to Broadway.
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Sam Brooks
The Spinoff

Six worlds, six themes

Each year there are six section themes for designers to be inspired by when entering the competition. This includes three recurring sections; Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, and an additional three sections which are unique to each annual competition.

Aotearoa

Aotearoa

Avant-garde

Avant-garde

Open

Open

Air

Air

Myths & Legends

Myths & Legends

Neon

Neon

2024

Imagination becomes reality in the 2024 WOW Show: DREAM AWAKE. You will be drawn into six awe-inspiring realms, where the boundaries of theatrical spectacle, live music, dance, aerial choreography and wearable art are pushed to the extreme.

Supreme winner icon

Supreme winner of the year

Curves Ahead

Grace DuVal

,

United States

Curves Ahead is inspired by the strength and resilience of the rebuild efforts following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. Grace DuVal first conceptualised Curves Ahead while on a road trip around New Zealand, just after being named the runner up to the Supreme WOW Award with her 2017 finalist garment, Refuse Refuge. She was inspired by the juxtaposition between the natural landscape of Aotearoa and the neon signage and garb of New Zealand road crews.

“Curves Ahead promises a colourful future beyond devastation and leads the charge to rebuild what once was and what is yet to be,” she says.

Curves Ahead, Grace DuVal, United States

Creative Team

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2024 section themes

Six worlds, six themes

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Aotearoa

Wellington 'The Skin I Am In', Katherine Bertram, New Zealand

Avant-garde

Love Me Tender, Antoaneta Tica, Romania

Open

Waste Mountain, Jessie Curry, London College of Fashion, United Kingdom

Crazy Curiosities of the Creature Carnival

Natural World

 Geometric Abstraction

2024

Section themes

Aotearoa

Aotearoa

Avant-garde

Avant-garde

Open

Open

Crazy Curiosities of the Creature Carnival

Crazy Curiosities of the Creature Carnival

Natural World

Natural World

 Geometric Abstraction

 Geometric Abstraction

2024 Award winners

Accor Live Limitless First-time Entrant Award

Fisher Funds New Zealand Design Award

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Award: UK & Europe

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Award: Americas

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Award: Asia

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Award: Australia & Pacific

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Award: Overall