Wearable Art Awards 1995

The wonderful thing about wearable art is that it's a sculpture that fits on the body; it's something to be worn, so I really like the beauty of the body to come through as well as the beauty of the garment.

– Wearable Art entrant Di Jennings on what she loves about the show

We haven't slept since nine o'clock yesterday morning so it's been a bit of a task! But we've got to go back to work at seven o'clock tomorrow morning so we'll see how we get on tonight.

– Wearable Art Award entrant Gary McKay on working long hours to get his entry ready

I thought it was just a completely different concept, and I liked the ideas of taking art off the walls and adorning the body, and it took a little while to educate people exactly what I was trying to... You know, what wearable art was. But I mean, obviously now, seven years on, they've obviously got the idea.

– World of Wearable Art founder Suzie Moncrieff on what inspired her to create the event

Anything toxic we'll find it and use it, anything you can hang off a body and call art.

– Wearable Art entrant Gary McKay on reusing throwaway items for his designs

The important thing about Wearable Art is making sure that the character of the garment has been brought to life by the model it's not just straight catwalk modelling, so I need to see the garments first and get ideas now before we start.

– Choreographer Morag Brownlie on her job of creating movement to show off each wearable art piece

The other great thing is it gets lots of people from the community involved, the local juggling set or you get the local belly dancers. So, vast numbers of the community are involved, it's not just the models or Suzie Moncrieff doing something in the Trafalgar Centre it's sort of half of Nelson in one way or another touched by the show.

– Photographer Craig Potton on how Nelson as a whole supports the Wearable Art Awards

Well, everyone has the same dream and the same vision that I do, actually... Once you get involved in the show you get hooked, basically, it's like a disease. It's this amazing sort of electric buzz that happens here and you get caught up in it and the next thing you're sort of trapped, like I am!

– Founder Suzie Moncrieff on producing the Wearable Arts Awards

Every year, I am completely blown away by the entries coming in because, every year, you think, 'how much better can they get? Judging this does your head in sometimes because there are just so many incredible works of art so beautifully made with some people spending up to two years to create one piece; my mind is blown when I see these things going in front of me and I think, 'gosh, how can you pick the supreme winner out of so many fantastic pieces?

– Excerpt from an interview with Dame Suzie Moncrieff, The NZ Herald, 19 September 2018

I'd like when people see it that they got a sense of something divine, that's what I want it to be, some expression of the divine coming through me, helping me to create something of great beauty.

– Wearable Art entrant Di Jennings on how she hope the audience will see her work