2019 Finalist Designers Announced

The world’s most significant wearable art competition is returning for its 31st season this year in Wellington from 26 September to 13 October. About 60,000 people are expected to attend the 2019 WOW Awards Season.

WOW Competition Director, Heather Palmer, said this year’s finalists’ work is outstanding, with the designers pushing the boundaries of invention and scale, using diverse materials and progressive technology:

"It never ceases to amaze me each year the sheer brilliance of our designers’ work and this year is no exception. There has been such a high level of experimentation and innovation by the designers this year, using materials in unexpected ways to create bizarre, edgy works of art."

The first round of judging took place in Nelson over the weekend of 5 – 7 July. This year’s judging panel includes WOW Founder and resident judge, Dame Suzie Moncrieff, designer James Dobson of New Zealand fashion label Jimmy D, and multi-media artist & sculptor Gregor Kregar.

This judging panel will also be joined by fashion activist and celebrity stylist, B. Akerlund, Sir Richard Taylor, CEO and Creative Director of Wētā Workshop and Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Intelligence Team Lead + Conceptrice, Melissa Thompson.

The finalist garments will go through two more stages of the judging process, where they will be seen on stage with choreography, lighting and music ahead of Opening Night on Thursday 26 September.

In total 108 garments will be brought to life as part of the 2019 WOW Awards Show.

Be the first to see these incredible works of art come to life on stage at the TSB Arena – good seats are still available on Opening Night!

Australia (14 finalist designers)

Kirsten Fletcher

Erica Gray (two finalist entries)

Felicity Rose Hardy

Ildy Izso

Lesley Marsh

Tara Morelos, Ahmad Mollahassani, Nelia Justo (three finalist designers in a design team)

R. R. Pascoe

Jill Perry

Nicola Rule

Hanna Smith

Michelle Wade (in a design team with Adam Wade from New Zealand)

Svenja

Austria (1 finalist designer)

Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer
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Belarus (1 finalist designer)

Volha Sniazhko

China (10 finalist designers)

Guo Tianzi

Lyu Lu, Gu Yiheng (two finalist designers in a design team)

Sun Ye, Miao Yuxin, Yuan Jue (three finalist designers in a design team)

Wang Haiwei (two finalist entries)

Xu Ran

Qiongwen Zhang

Chen Bingrou

Czechia (2 finalist designers)

Denisa Pubalová, Jenny Sternwaldova (two finalist designers in a design team)

France (1 finalist designer)

Marine Arnoul

Germany (2 finalist designers)

Anto Christ, Casio Ono (two finalist designers in a design team)

Hong Kong (1 finalist designer)

Lam Hoi Man Kinki

India (5 finalist designers)

Ashish Dhaka, Sonika Khar (two finalist designers in a design team)

Akhilesh Gupta

Thingamla Adrianne Keishing

Shantanu Singh (two finalist entries)

Indonesia (1 finalist designer)

Rinaldy Yunardi (two finalist entries)

Ireland (1 finalist designer)

Monika Bogyos

Kazakhstan (2 finalist designers)

Bota Kirgizbayeva, Aya Kirgizbayeva (two finalist designers in a design team)

Netherlands (1 finalist designer)

Roosmarie Mittemeijer

New Zealand (43 finalist designers)

Ruth Arkless

Anna Baines

Jill Benson

Ian Bernhard (two finalist entries)

Katherine Bertram

Jayne Boesley

Kayla Christensen

Stephanie Cossens

Christopher Davis

Leanne Day

Lynne Dunphy

Kerry Funnell

Carolyn Gibson

Tina Hutchison-Thomas

Jenny Jack

Judith Keith

Carolyn Laing, Debbie Paton (two finalist designers in a design team)

Meg Latham

Lyndal Linton

Renee Louie

Sacha Mail

Zach McDonald-Wright, Marie Wright, Taralee Freeman (three finalist designers in a design team)

Ali Middleton

Autumn Minnear

Dylan Mulder

Louisa Marie Paterson

Carmel Pollock

Vicky Robertson

Daniella Sasvári, Aaron La Roche (two finalist designers in a design team)

Shelley Scott (two finalist entries)

Loretta Sloan

Sheela Stoneman

Jenny Sutton

Mary Turner

Jean Valentine

Josiene van Maarseveen

Lisa Vanin

Adam Wade (in a design team with Michelle Wade from Australia)

Keryn Whitney

Philippines (4 finalist designers)

Armando Rutaquio Jr, Jon Daniel Jasa, Charles David Almario (three finalist designers in a design team)

Russell Villafuerte

Poland (2 finalist designers)

Edyta Jermacz (two finalist entries)

Marcin Szłapka

Russian Federation (1 finalist designer)

Maria Amirova

Singapore (2 finalist designers)

Dinh Hai Yen

Galina Mihaleva (two finalist entries)

Sweden (1 finalist designer)

Pavlo Blinov

Taiwan (7 finalist designers)

Cao Qian Yi, Lu Pei-Hsin (two finalist designers in a design team)

Yun Shan Lee

Zeng Ying-Syuan

Chang Yi-Wei (two finalist entries)

Chiu Yu-Chia

Lin Zhi-Er

United Kingdom (4 finalist designers)

Louise Byford

Louise Dyhrfort

Jack Irving (four finalist entries)

Anna von Hartitzsch

United States (8 finalist designers)

Lynn Christiansen

Grace DuVal

Natalia Fedner

Dawn Mostow, Ben Gould (two finalist designers in a design team)

Robert Reed

Nola Yergen, Brian Lapham (two finalist designers in a design team)