World of Wearable Art introduces summer showcase at Te Papa museum

December 13, 2020

The competition has been cancelled this year.

The annual World of Wearable Art competition was cancelled this year due to Covid-19, but organisers have found a new way to wow audiences.

Now, WOW’s introduced to devoted fans the ‘Close Up’ exhibition, a summer showpiece which gives a more personal look at 38 award-winning works from the show’s 30-year history.

“We've been wanting to do a collaboration between WOW and Te Papa for ages and it goes to show, even out of a tough year like this, sometimes a great opportunity arises,” Te Papa’s Kate Camp said.

Some of the outfits showcased in the capital include costumes woven from 500 abandoned festival tents to a wooden masterpiece from Alaska.

From humble beginnings in the Nelson countryside, the competition, held in Wellington, now attracts entries from 40 different countries.

“I had a vision that it would grow to become a world-renowned show and there is nothing else like this in the world,” WOW founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff said.

“What you see today is what I did see in 1987. It took awhile to get there but it's certainly been an incredible journey.”

The works have been on a journey of their own, with Covid-19 providing a homecoming for some outfits in overseas exhibitions.

“It's just a real joy to walk in here today and see all these incredible works of wearable art together again. Some of them have been travelling the world for the past five years,” she said.

“You can't go overseas at the moment but WOW brings the best of the world to Wellington,” Camp added.

The exhibit will run from December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021.

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