Hawke's Bay artist shocked and humbled to win Supreme WOW Award for second time
Eight years after what she describes as one of her proudest moments, Kate MacKenzie won the Supreme World of WearableArt Award for a second time.
The Hawke's Bay artist, who previously won the award in 2014, says she is still in shock after winning the supreme award, and the Open Section Category at Wellington's TSB Arena last night, for her garment 'Wonton Widow'.
"I didn't expect to win this year, but I'm feeling really humble because the competition was amazing,” Mackenzie says.
Seeing her garment come to life on stage was "amazing".
"The model was so connected to the story, and you could see she'd really thought about it. She just created all the drama that I was hoping for. And it had a lot of stage presence, I think."
Wanton Widow by Hawke's Bay artist Kate MacKenzie modelled on stage. Photo/Hagen Hopkins - Getty Images
MacKenzie is among 21 award winners in the 2022 World of WearableArt Awards Competition, in which more than $185,000 of prize money was on offer, across three recurring sections, Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, as well as three new sections: Architecture, Elizabethan Era and Monochromatic.
Despite having won before, and been a finalist on a number of occasions, she says this time was a bit more special.
"It's funny, you often hear that when you win twice. But I think it is a bit more special, and it sort of makes you think: 'well, the first time wasn't a fluke'. So it's very special, and I'm getting a lot of messages coming in from people I don't normally hear from, which is very humbling."
'Wanton Widow' was described by the judges as "refined, sculptural and tells a story".
“We are in awe of the designer’s resourcefulness in use of the vintage china cabinet and Singer sewing machine drawers. It perfectly captures what we mean when we say wearable art," the judges said.
The concept was born in 2019 before the competition was cancelled for two years due to COVID-19. Wanton Widow tells the story of a 19th-century woman on a journey through grief.
"I've always loved old antiquated things, which I tend to use a lot. And so I decided it was my year to do it. So I started with the China cabinet and then had the idea to add the bodice, which was made out of old singer sewing machine wood."
Once she decided what material she was going to use, Mackenzie says it was then when the story started.
"I sort of wondered how I could reference the china cabinet and the idea of fragile china on a shelf for display only. And then the 19th-century Victorian era came to mind and this idea of this widow, who perhaps was a little bit of a rebel, maybe a trailblazer in her time, having to grieve for two and a half years. She was ready to stick it out and move on with her life, but she couldn't because of mourning protocols.
"What I like to do with my work is go back in time so that we can reference it today and how things have changed and moved on. And I really liked the fact that today we can mourn openly and weep openly and feel - that's a natural human emotion, and we should be able to grieve in the way that we want to."
The first round of judging to select finalists took place in 2021 by a panel comprising WOW Founder and resident judge Dame Suzie Moncrieff, designer and co-founder of Zambesi Elisabeth Findlay, and acclaimed New Zealand sculptor Jeff Thomson.
To decide the winners, they were joined by International Guest Judge – award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne; The Residency Experience Award Judge – Swedish-born fashion activist and celebrity stylist, B Åkerlund; and Wētā Workshop Emerging Designer Award Judge – Co-founder, CEO and Creative Director of Wētā Workshop, Sir Richard Taylor.
WOW Competition Director Heather Palmer says, “We have been waiting for an incredibly long time to share the work of our 2022 finalist designers with the world and finally we can give each of the garments their moment to shine on the WOW stage.
“To see the passion, innovation and dedication of this year’s finalists is incredibly affirming and it is heartening to see the wearable art movement around the globe remains alive and well.”
For the next three weeks, the TSB Arena stage will come alive with this year’s 88 finalist entries by 103 designers representing 20 countries and regions around the world.
