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The world of WearableArt
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We are
World of WearableArt
Since it was established in 1987 WOW has embraced the worlds of art and design, running an international competition that culminates in a spectacular theatrical performance each year. The exhilarating WOW Show is a visual feast for audiences and an opportunity for designers to be recognised and celebrated on the world stage.
The heart of WOW
a Show & Competition
WOW offers an opportunity to express innovation, originality and to push the boundaries of creativity. The show represents the last stage of the competition as finalists garments get their moment to shine in front of over 60,000 people.
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WOW rewards the <text-colour-gold>curious<text-colour-gold>, the <text-colour-gold>courageous<text-colour-gold> and those who are <text-colour-gold>passionate<text-colour-gold> enough to stand in the face of self-doubt and embrace creativity no matter the cost.
History
Three decades of WOW
Nelson sculptor Suzie Moncrieff conceived the idea of WOW where she challenged designers to take art off the wall and adorn the body. The inaugural WOW Show unfolded at Nelson's William Higgins Gallery, beneath a rain-soaked marquee, captivating an audience of 200 individuals with its visionary display.
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Driven by its soaring popularity, the WOW Show relocated from a rural venue to Nelson's largest event facility, Trafalgar Centre. The move allowed the show to accommodate a full house of 2,000 people, delighting an enthusiastic audience with its captivating spectacle.
The museum exhibited award-winning WOW garments alongside New Zealand's largest private classic car collection. Its galleries showcased previous WOW Show garments, allowing close-up appreciation of intricate wearable art. Unfortunately, the museum closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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To facilitate WOW's creative and commercial growth, the show relocated from Trafalgar Centre, Nelson to TSB Arena, Wellington. WOW HQ remained in Nelson. The move resulted in a 60% surge in audience size, reaching 28,000 attendees in the first year at Wellington.
Following appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998 for service to the arts and tourism, Suzie Moncrieff received a Dame Companion of the same order in 2012, for service to the arts.
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From 2012 to 2014, WOW’s OFF THE WALL exhibition toured nationally to six cities in Aotearoa, with a total visitation of 315,000 people.
From 2015 to 2019, WOW toured an international exhibition of 32 award-winning garments to Australia, Hawaii, USA (Seattle, Massachusetts, Colorado Springs) & Russia. Total visitation of the international exhibition exceeded 648,000 people.
The 2018 show was a magnificent celebration of the first 30 years of WOW. It included a Retrospective Section featuring garments and characters from previous WOW shows and centred around a young girl on a swing symbolising WOW Founder, Dame Suzie Moncrieff when she was a child.
After the 2020 WOW Show was cancelled due to COVID-19, an exhibition was created in its stead: WOW Up Close exhibition at Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. Running from Dec 2020 to Feb 2021, featuring 38 works of wearable art, the immersive exhibition was visited by over 37,000 people.
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WOW mesmerised its largest audience ever, with over 63,000 experiencing the magic across the three-week show season.
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WOW's sustainable future is secured as founders Dame Suzie Moncrieff and Heather Palmer announce its sale to STILL, a family-owned NZ company.
Impossible without a
passionate team
Putting on a WOW show for 60,000 people is not for the faint hearted! It is all made possible thanks to our talented and dedicated 300 strong world-class cast and crew and our community of outstanding designers! Meet some of the team who help to make the show such a success.
We give the garment a voice, a character, a life form, for the designer. It truly is an <text-colour-gold>unforgettable experience.<text-colour-gold>
The cast and crew are such a tight-knit and supportive family. It's an <text-colour-gold>incredible feeling<text-colour-gold> being on stage and feeling the <text-colour-gold> tangible excitement<text-colour-gold> <text-colour-gold>and delight <text-colour-gold> of the audience. Knowing that you've bought the designers' artwork to life and done them proud on stage keeps me coming back to perform year after year.
The Best talent working together
to create something out of this world
WOW works with hundreds of talented people including lighting designers, stage managers, garment technicians, models, dancers, aerialists, and designers who all work together to bring the World of WearableArt Show to life. We often seek experienced and passionate people in the arts industry to join our team.
Our PArtners
World of WearableArt aims to epitomise the entrepreneurial and unconventional spirit that makes the world a colourful and exciting place. Partnering with WOW provides the opportunity to align with one of New Zealand’s most iconic creative brands.
