Welcome to the last Designers newsletter for 2005 – and what a year it has been!!
WOW in Wellington The first ever staging of the Montana WOW® Awards Show in Wellington has been hailed as a success, with record audiences, media attendance and subsequent coverage. Wellington really embraced WOW® and the city and its people were incredibly welcoming and supportive.
The Wellington City Council Excessive Accessories Street Parade, exhibitions and various activities at Te Papa to welcome WOW® to Wellington were all well attended and it was great to see so many designers at the Judges forum.
WOW® congratulates all designers for their level of imagination, craftsmanship and construction. It was a great show, made possible by the quality of the 2005 entries.
Garment Returns For those of you who are expecting your garments to be returned, Mainfreight will again generously return garments free of charge to the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. You should have received an email or letter stating the date/time for pick up for your area from both the 2004 and 2005 shows. Any queries, please contact the WOW Costume Department on (03) 547 0864 between 9am and 3pm or alternatively phone Heather on (03) 547 0861 between 10am and 5pm.
Dominion Post People’s Choice Award The Wellington public and many visitors to the Capital for the shows all took a great interest in the Dominion Post People’s Choice Award, and the majority voted for one garment, which although by a Wellington based designer, has Nelson roots. Chloe McGlashen’s Cosi Fan Tuti (and Ruffles) was an elegant ensemble of corrugated cardboard, complete with Ruffles (a cardboard dog and essential accessory!!) Chloe is originally from Nelson, and parents Royce and Trudi McGlashen are well known for their successful Nelson pottery business. Chloe won $500 cash for designing the 2005 Dominion Post People’s Choice Award, and model Ashton Lindsay, also of Wellington won a night for two at the luxurious BellBird Lodge in Kaiteriteri, Nelson. The actual member of the public who was drawn out of all the votes for Cosi Fan Tuti was Lindsay Westrate of Khandallah who won 2 tickets to the 2006 Montana WOW Awards, a magazine subscription and flights and accommodation to Nelson to visit the World of WearableArt and Collectable Cars Museum.
Designers Post show Function This was held at the WOW® official restaurant and bar, The Loaded Hog, immediately post show on Opening Night. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. There has been some feedback the music was too loud and this has been noted for 2006. This function represents a great opportunity to mix and mingle with your peers and carry on the festivities after the show.
Media Attendance The 2005 Montana WOW® Awards attracted unprecedented media attention, which up until the week of the Awards had been firmly focussed on the General Election. More than 40 domestic media attended on Opening Night. This included major New Zealand newspapers and radio stations including Radio New Zealand, Newstalk ZB and Wellington’s More FM. TV One also sent reporters from the Arts Programme Front Seat, and Asia Down Under, who focussed on the large contingent of Asian designers.
Both TV One and TV3 sent crews who did live crosses into the 6pm news and late news with the results, as well as Saturday news coverage.
Many media conducted interviews with winning designers immediately post show, with many designers sharing their win with journalists over a glass of wine. There were some issues matching designers with the Media who had requested them, and name tags for all should solve this in 2006 – as well as a separate area to host friends and family of designers while they are being interviewed.
The winner of the 2004 Montana WOW Awards, Claire Prebble was also extensively interviewed and featured on Headliners on TV One, TV One and TV 3 news and Good Morning, along with WOW® CEO Gabrielle Hervey. Gabrielle also appeared live on Breakfast TV on Opening night.
The Saturday night was reserved for magazine media, and WOW® hosted Stella Magazine, Lucire, NZ House and Garden, Australia NZ Apparel, NZ Life and Leisure, New Zealand Quilter, and The Guide (Wellington).
The second weekend was the opportunity for the international media contingent in conjunction with WOW® Major Sponsor, Tourism New Zealand. A total of 18 media attended from as far away as The Netherlands. Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, the United States, Hong Kong and India.
We hope you caught the TV One screening of highlights of the 2005 show on Saturday October 15. It was great to see so many designer interviews integrated into the hour long programme, as well as an on screen explanation of what the garments were made of.
Entry Form 2006 WOW® is already working on the entry form for the 2006 shows and it will be mailed out to you in mid December. These are some of the ideas being considered for the special section of the 2006 shows, and WOW® would love your feedback on these before the end of November.
2006: New Sections Children’s Section: Inspired By Children – Using the originality, freedom and honesty of the unique works of art that children produce. Create a work of WearableArt using ideas & imagery from children’s paintings & craftwork. Shape It Section: Stripes, Spots and Checks – Using one or a combination to create a work of WearableArt. Illumination Illusion Section: Performance Piece – To create an entry that is made to perform. Gather your inspiration from dance, theatre, masks, puppetry and illusion using the magic of UV light to WOW the audience. Please note you can use up to three models per entry. In 2006 use any UV colour or just plain black and white.
Retail Opportunity at WOW & Collectable Cars Museum, Nelson There is a great opportunity for designers to sell their work through the WOW & Collectable Car Museum in Nelson. This wonderful facility is open 364 days a year and attracts around 60,000 visitors annually. Anyone who would like to take advantage of this high traffic/high visibility opportunity can contact Heather Palmer at WOW. Please send either a photo or sample of your work for consideration.
That’s it from a very tired but satisfied WOW team. It has been a massive but exciting year– roll on 2006!!!!
We trust you and your families have a great Christmas and New Year and that you find some creative time to consider your entry for the 2006 Awards!
Please don’t hesitate to contact Heather with any queries – heather@worldofwearableart.com or ph: (03) 547 0861.
