Hawke's Bay artist wins Supreme WOW Award for second time
Hawke’s Bay artist Kate MacKenzie has been recognised as the 2022 Supreme WOW Award winner for the second time in eight years.
The 2022 World of WearableArt™ (WOW) Awards were announced this evening at Wellington’s TSB Arena.
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.
She last won the Supreme WOW Award in 2014. This year's winning garment, ‘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 of Wanton Widow in a statement.
She pocketed $30,000 for winning the Supreme WOW Award as well as another $6000 for winning the Open Section category.
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.
Hawke's Bay Artist Kate MacKenzie. Photo/Supplied.
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.”
