WOW garments show overseas

Timaru designer Sarah Thomas is excited garments from the World of WearableArt (WOW) have been put on show overseas.

Ms Thomas's second WOW entry, American Dream, which won a people's choice award in 2009, was selected to be one of 100 WOW garments shown at the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival yesterday.

The WOW show was its first-ever international performance.

"I'm excited for WOW," Ms Thomas said. It was an opportunity for people overseas to experience the show.

It was also nice to have an opportunity to have the garment seen again, she said. The WOW festival arose from a concept in 1987 to take art off the wall and have it adorn the human body. The annual festival now attracts more than a third of its entrants from overseas.

"A lot of people are wanting to keep it in New Zealand but I think that's a little bit unfair," Ms Thomas said.

It cost people overseas a lot of money to enter for nothing in return.

Ms Thomas said she had spoken to a previous winner who had spent $1000 posting his garment from overseas.

"What dedication is that for no profit, really?"

WOW managing director Gabrielle Harvey said the 70-minute show had been specially created to showcase the "best of the best" sections from past award shows.

Ms Thomas said she took on board lessons from her first show where she did "quite well" and focused on producing a garment with stage presence.

The result was American Dream, which was "fun, and brightly coloured and shiny".

Being on stage brought American Dream to life, she said.

Prizewinning items were kept by WOW and housed in Nelson.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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