WOW Lookbook - 10 Years Of World Of Wearable Arts

WOW is a world renowned wearable art experience, where an annual design competition culminates in a spectacular show.

From Boars to Bow Ties: My Wearable Art Evolution. My journey with the World of WearableArt (WOW®) has been one of immense creative freedom where I’ve pushed boundaries, told bold stories, and brought unconventional ideas to life on stage. WOW® allowed me to step outside the commercial world of fashion and explore garments purely as art. In 2004, Beauty and the Beast was a major turning point. The piece won a Highly Commended award in the Tourism New Zealand Avant Garde Section and quickly became one of my most recognised works. It featured a wild boar and captured the imagination of both audiences and the media. That single piece, often referred to as “Annah Stretton’s pig,” followed me long after its debut. It even appeared in my Fashion Week collection, Feral Beauty, and spent many years on permanent display at the World of Wearable Art and Classic Car Museum in Nelson. In 2005, I followed with Reluctant Bride, Bird of Prey, a garment that explored the uncomfortable reality of young Asian mail order brides married to older European men. The concept was sparked when a local man rang to offer me 25 magpies he had shot. I accepted, had them taxidermied, and used them to create a dramatic silver gown, complete with bird beak to feet, wings outstretched, and a short black tulle train. Their eyes were created from cut glass taken from zirconia rings bought at the two-dollar shop. While it didn’t place, the entry made the finals. In 2006, I presented Black Tie, a bold and high-impact piece made entirely of black and white bow ties. They started from a towering blonde wig and cascaded down like a dinosaur spine. We completed the look with eight-inch heels sourced from a sex shop and a pool cue transformed into a staff. It didn’t make the finals, but the visual impact and audience response made it a memorable moment. In 2007, I declined an invitation from Suzie Moncrieff to judge WOW® as I still had the desire to create. That year I returned with Queen of Hearts, a richly detailed garment that reflected my evolving aesthetic and passion for theatrical storytelling through fashion. In 2008, I accepted the invitation to judge WOW®, which brought my chapter as an entrant to a close. It felt like the right time to step back and celebrate the creativity of others. WOW® has given me a platform to move beyond conventional design. Each piece stands as a creative chapter, timeless, provocative, and deeply personal.