WOW factor is a driving force
World of WearableArt Museum
Strictly speaking, and cleverly too, it’s the World of WearableArt and Classic Cars Museum: so, design-focused exhibits to interest everyone, whether it’s imagination and artistry that float your boat or practical and functional beauty.
Though the cars are gorgeous, and the collection is one of the biggest and most varied in Australasia – truly a petrol-head paradise – it’s the fabulous, exotic, imaginative flights of design and costume fancy that make this an absolute must-see for any visitor to Nelson.
Why go?
Nelson is where WOW – now an internationally-famous annual awards show – began, in 1987, with Dame Suzie Moncrieff’s idea for a promotion for an art gallery. The museum tells its history, how it grew and grew, designers throughout the country stimulated by the challenge of creating wearable art for the various categories (the recycled materials one has always been fun, and as for the Bizarre Bra, well…)
Since 2005, the show has taken place in Wellington, with more than 60,000 viewing it each year, and half the designers are from all around the world. But here, artfully lit and displayed, with music and video enhancing the experience, you can get up close to a representative range of these weird and wonderful creations.
You can take your time admiring, and marvelling at, the inspiration, ingenuity and sheer mind-blowing patience and finicking skills required to think up and then construct these literally fantastic costumes. Silk, plastic, paua, leather, metal, wood, even cutlery – there’s nothing these imaginative designers can’t turn into wearable art that’s beautiful, crazy, colourful, funny, spooky and always memorable.
Insider tip
Allow plenty of time to watch the video in the cinema that combines the story