By Rachel Tiffen
Art and creativity will tonight be paraded on the catwalk for the annual Wearable Art Awards in Wellington.
The awards began as a plug for a Nelson art gallery 26 years ago, but have now grown into a renowned extravaganza of creation that attracts thousands of visitors and millions of dollars for the capital.
This year's garments are as innovative and kooky as ever, with a growing international flavour, and today some of those foreign designers - led by a few capable Kiwis - had a day of Kiwi culture, with lunch at the Zealandia reserve.
Twenty-five of the 164 entries are international this year and there has been a surge from Asia.
“We've been into Shanghai and Hong Kong for the last two years, talking to students in both places,” says Wearable Art founder Suzie Moncrieff. “We were also in Hong Kong early this year - we were invited to the Hong Kong Arts Festival so that really did help spread the word.”
And the word is spreading alright - as well as bringing in the latest in fashion innovations, the awards are also a $15 million capital injection with a combined audience of more than 47,000 people.
3 News
source: newshub archive
