Sixty-thousand people are expected to flock to Wellington over the next two weeks, to catch this year's World of Wearable Art (Wow).
It's an opportunity for designers from all over the globe and New Zealand to show off their weird and wonderful creations - and some local talent.
Flatmates Kayla Christensen and Renee Louie have known each other since kindergarten - a connection that's invaluable when designing for World of Wearable Art.
"I don't know how people do it on their own, 'cause it's very good to have a second opinion. You get so sick of looking at your own work that it's nice to have a fresh pair of eyes," says Ms Louie.
They first fell in love with WoW ten years ago - after winning a high school competition, and going along to the awards.
"Once we saw it we knew that we wanted to enter, and ever since then we've entered every year. And I don't think we'll stop," says Ms Christensen.
Despite competing separately, there's no rivalry between them.
"I think even if one of us gets in we're like 'yes!'" Ms Christensen says.
"Yeah, like either way when we get the results out, we're like 'there'll be wine, either way, we'll celebrate regardless!" says Ms Louie.
This year Ms Christensen's design is covered in portraits inspired by her dreams, and Ms Louie's came about after she broke her wrist.
"I just had my arm in a cast still, and I was like 'I need to enter WoW, I don't even know if I can move by arm but I have to enter WoW' - and that's where I thought of my concept of bones under the microscope, and the process of bone growth," she explains.
For first-time entrant Brita DellaBarca, inspiration's also come from adversity. After a heartbreak and a move back home, she decided wallowing in self-pity wasn't for her.
"It's just not fun, really. You know, when you're stuck in Masterton and you're feeling like crap, I just needed a distraction," she says.
Her candle-inspired design is made of leather and covered in 15,000 hand-stitched beads.
It took seven months to complete; she spent the time listening to death metal and watching David Attenborough documentaries to keep her mind busy.
"It gets pretty boring - you go on autopilot. But at the same time, every time you finish a section and put it on the piece it looks even more incredible, and then that sort of spurs you on to start the next one," says Ms DellaBarca.
She has a mild form of synesthesia, so she incorporates what she hears into what she makes.
"Just channeling it into a different art form - I'm a very visual person so I try and turn everything else into what I hear and see into what I make," she explains.
And after fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams of getting into WoW, DellaBarca now hopes to fulfil another: designing for Weta Workshop.
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