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For the third year in a row a New Zealand Designer has taken out the top prize at the World of WearableArt Awards Show. Nelson based designer Peter Wakeman has walked away with the 2015 Brancott Estate Supreme WOW Award at the 27th show, taking home $30,000 in prizes.

For the third year in a row a New Zealand Designer has taken out the top prize at the World of WearableArt Awards Show. Nelson based designer Peter Wakeman has walked away with the 2015 Brancott Estate Supreme WOW Award at the 27th show, taking home $30,000 in prizes.

The stunning entry Diva’s Dreamscape was entered in the Creative Excellence Section: Architecture and is a clever interpretation of the Art Deco era of design. Made of stainless steel, wood and Peter’s trademark fibreglass, the garment impressed the judges with its exquisite workmanship.

Dame Suzie Moncrieff noted that this year’s Supreme WOW Award Winner has a clear artistic integrity and responded perfectly to the brief for the Creative Excellence Section. Diva’s Dreamscape really is a stunning piece of art, it has a strong simplicity that works perfectly from every angle. The use of such hard materials to create a sophisticated garment demonstrates great skill and creative ability.”

This is the third time that Peter has entered WOW and the second time he has won a prize, he was named Runner Up to the Supreme Award Winner in 2013 for his pink fibre glass creation Chica under Glass.

The Runner Up to the Brancott Estate Supreme Award hails from Shanghai in China. Xi Zhang a student from Donghua University won with her striking garment Deadly Beauty. Entered in the Wellington Airport Avant Garde Section this garment is made from feathers, beads and mesh cloth, it has a strong sculptural shape that impressed the judges with its intense colour palette and powerful stage presence.

The guest judges sculptor, Greer Twiss and fashioned designer, Denise L’Estrange Corbet joined the Founder of WOW Dame Suzie Moncrieff, on the panel. The decision-making was unanimous and every garment that had been selected to compete on stage and be modelled in the WOW show, were of an extremely high calibre.

The World of WearableArt Awards Show is New Zealand’s single largest arts show, and this season’s production is the competition’s 27th show.

It is a truly world-class event, and a competition open to designers throughout the world. This year’s show season is another sell-out, as nearly 50,000 show-goers from all over the world witness the breathtaking, two-hour spectacular of art, theatre, dance, and music, bringing to life 107 incredible designs. This high-energy show tells a powerful visual story, around the top designs chosen from several hundred as competitors to take to the stage.

Dame Suzie Moncrieff created the WOW concept in 1987 to challenge designers to take “art off the wall and onto the human form”. Designers come from all occupations, from many different backgrounds and from around the world. WOW gives designers the opportunity to be innovative and original, while not being bound by the constraints of commercialism. The only limit is imagination.

2015 WOW Awards Winners

Brancott Estate Supreme WOW Award WOW

• Winner: Diva’s Dreamscape by Peter Wakeman, Nelson, New Zealand
• Runner Up: Deadly Beauty by Xi Zhang, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

American Express Open Section

• First: Tinker by Jeff Thomson, Auckland, New Zealand
• Second: The Quilt Monster by Daisy May Collingridge, Woldingham, UK
• Third: Flow of Creation by Kirsten Fletcher, Feltham, Middlesex, UK

Wellington Airport Avant Garde Section

• First: Deadly Beauty by Xi Zhang, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
• Second: Lucid Dreaming by Liangshan Huang, Donghua University Shanghai, China
• Third: Mona by Kerryta Chau, Wing Lam Yeung and Emily Lau, Hong Kong Design Institute.

Children’s Section

• First: For Annie by Doreen Helms & Susan Thurner, Nelson New Zealand
• Second: Pablo by Jessica Thompson, Brisbane Australia
• Third: Reel or Imagined by Ann Skelly, Waiheke Island New Zealand

Aotearoa Section

• First: On Reflection by Philippa Stitchbury, Melbourne, Australia
• Second: Interwoven by Carol Laloli, Auckland, New Zealand
• Third: Honor the Huia by Robyn Parkinson, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Creative Excellence Section: Architecture

• First: Diva’s Dreamscape by Peter Wakeman, Nelson, New Zealand
• Second: Dance with Death by Jiefei Wang, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
• Third: Mechanical Revolution by Fan Luo, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

Man Section: Uniform

• First: Piper of the Lights by Chris Wilson and Gary Wilson, Upper Hutt, New Zealand
• Second: Apocalyptic Warrior by Scott Sutcliffe, Tokyo, Japan
• Third: One for Sorrow by Gillian Saunders, Nelson, New Zealand

WETA Costume and Film Section

• First: To Be or Not to Be by Joanna Peacock, Colchester, UK
• Second: M45 Pleides by Maria Tsopanaki and Dimitri Mavinis, UK
• Third: Primary Sunset by Sean Purucker and David Candelaria, Los Angeles, USA

Cirque du Soleil Performance Art Costume Award

• Winner: Kaleidoscope by Tess Tavener Hanks, Sydney, Australia

WOW Factor Award

• Winner: Get Behind Me Satan by Rodney Leong, Auckland, New Zealand
• Runner Up: Honeycomb by Xin Liu, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

Wearable Technology Award

• Winner: Exotic by Qianwen Hong, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
• Runner Up: The Piper of the Lights by Chris Wilson and Gary Wilson, Upper Hutt, New Zealand

Shell Sustainability Award

• Winner: Templa Mentis by Daniella Sasvari, Wanganui, New Zealand
• Runner Up: The Barley Dancer by Vanessa Burton, Auckland, New Zealand

Shell Student Innovation Award

• Winner: Kaleidoscope by Tess Tavener Hanks, Sydney, Australia
• Runner Up: The Floating: Yanjingting Chen, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

First Time Entrant Award:

• Winner: Brave New World by Ewelina Kosmal, Konskie, Poland
• Runner Up: Cerulean by Cushla O’Connell, Christchurch New Zealand

New Zealand Design Award

• Winner: Tinker by Jeff Thomson, Auckland, New Zealand

Wellington International Award

• Winner: M45 Pleiades by Maria Tsopanaki and Dimitri Mavinis, London, UK

Wellington International Awards: UK/Europe

• Winner: M45 Pleiades by Maria Tsopanaki and Dimitri Mavinis, London, UK

Wellington International Awards: Americas

• Winner: Starship Girl by Julian Hartzog, Florida, USA

Wellington International Awards: Asia

• Winner: Mona by Kerryta Chau, Wing Lam Yeung and Emily Lau, Hong Kong Design Institute

Wellington International Awards: Australia / South Pacific

• Winner: The Stitch Witch by Sarah Seahorse and Luna Aquatica, Melbourne, Australia

2015 WOW AWARDS SNAP SHOT

There were a total of 107 entries by 123 designers (some, who worked in pairs on one entry) chosen to appear in this year’s show to compete for a prize pool of 40 awards with a combined value of NZ$165,000.

A total of 13 New Zealand-designed garments won 15 awards and 24 awards were won by 18 international designs.

• Auckland, New Zealand designed garments won three section prizes and three special awards
• One designers from Canterbury, New Zealand won a special award.
• One design duo from Wellington won two awards.
• Four designers from Nelson, New Zealand won three sections awards and the WOW Supreme Award.
• One designer from the Wanganui won a special award.
• One designer from Palmerston North won a section award
• Six designers from Donghua University in Shanghai, China claimed four section prizes and three special awards and Runner Up to the Supreme.
• Five Australian designer won two section prizes and two special awards and the Cirque du Soleil Award.
• Three designers from Hong Kong claimed a section prizes and a special award.
• A first time entrant and the first entry from Poland has won one award.
• Five designers from the UK claimed four section prizes and two special awards.
• Three designers from the USA claimed one section prize and one special award.
• Tokyo-based Australian, Scott Sutcliffe has claimed a section prize

Media Release: World of WearableArt Awards
26/09/2015