Wearable art produces eye-popping spectacle

The weird, wacky and wonderful hit the stage at the World of WearableArt Awards Show in Wellington last night.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a surprise appearance as a model, wearing a specially commissioned piece, Digitally Grown, by New Zealand designer Dylan Mulder.

Hawke’s Bay artist Kate MacKenzie took the Supreme Award for the second time, with her piece Wanton Widow.

“We are in awe of the designer’s resourcefulness in use of the vintage china cabinet and Singer sewing machine drawers,” the judges said. “It perfectly captures what we mean when we say wearable art.”

For the next three weeks, the TSB Arena in the capital will be inundated with this year’s 88 finalist entries by 103 designers representing 20 countries.

MacKenzie was among 21 award winners in the competition, with more than $185,000 of prize money up for grabs.

The show runs until October 16 and tickets are on sale at www. worldofwearableart.com

Photos / Getty Images Documental (right), by Bethany Cordwell of Australia, won the Avant-garde section; PM Jacinda Ardern wears Digitally Grown by Dylan Mulder of New Zealand.

Wanton Widow , by Kiwi Kate MacKenzie, was supreme winner.

Life, the Monochromatic section winner, by Sun Ye, Ma Yuru and Zhou Honglei, of China.