“We need more quirky and colorful things in life.”
– Suzie Moncrieff, WOW founder
In 1987, Suzie Moncrieff, a sculptor in Nelson, New Zealand, needed a novel way to promote a new art gallery.
She decided to have a show where instead of the artwork being hung on the wall or propped on the floor staring back at you, you had to . . . wear it. That’s right, make any type of artwork you want including painting, sculpture, textiles, crafts and even engineering and electronics. Make it as bizarre, beautiful or crazy as you like. No need for the wearable items to be practical or comfortable like traditional clothing. The only rule was that they must be worn.
Firebird. Designed by Susan Holmes, Auckland. 2009 Winner Untouched World WOW Factor Award. Photo credit: World of WearableArt™ Ltd
Combined with this, instead of just presenting the wearable art as in a traditional fashion show with the designs being paraded down a catwalk, she came up with the idea of creating a show combining dance, theater, lights and music to showcase the creations in an adventurous, emotional journey. She encouraged local people to participate and 200 people came to a community hall to watch the initial event. And thus, the World of WearableArt (WOW) was born.
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