World of WearableArt exhibition opens at Te Papa in Wellington this weekend

World of WearableArt - Up Close arrives at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand this weekend. Photo / Supplied

A celebration of design from Aotearoa and around the world, the World of WearableArt - Up Close exhibition opens at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand on Saturday.

Having cancelled this year's World of WearableArt Awards show due to Covid-19, the exhibition gives visitors a rare chance to see the showcased garments up close.

Featuring 35 award-winning pieces from 37 designers, the exhibition takes visitors around the world, through a variety of cultures, time periods and unique mediums such as latex, carpet and bicycle tubes.

World of WearableArt (WOW) head of marketing Donna Ching-Tregidga said many of the pieces still took her breath away each time she saw them.

"In the show you get to see this amazing spectacular, but seeing them up close is something that is extraordinary," she said.

"When you look at the calibre of the work and the materials and the intricacies, it blows you away.

There are pieces from designers from eight countries. Photo / Supplied

"And we're really focused on telling the stories behind the designs as well … so [people] feel really connected to the work."

The exhibition features designers from eight countries, and 17 works from New Zealand artists – five of which were supreme WOW award winners.

Seeing works that had been touring the world return to New Zealand was like seeing "old friends", she said, and it was emotional to see favourite pieces again.

"Like I said, they're all friends to us, but there's a piece in the exhibition called Lady of the Wood, which was created called David Walker, a designer from the United States.

"And you really have to see it to believe it, it's a beautiful piece created from wood."

The exhibition features 35 works from around the world. Photo / Supplied

WOW was founded in 1987 and has had 31 show seasons.

Because of Covid-19 ,the 2020 show, scheduled for September, was cancelled. An exhibition of showcased works was planned instead, in collaboration with Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.

In a second Covid disruption, the August outbreak of coronavirus caused the exhibition to be postponed again until December.

The exhibition will run for nine weeks from Saturday, December 12. Photo / Supplied

But Ching-Tregidga said the new summer time frame would hopefully get more people through the door.

The exhibition would run during the Christmas and school holiday period, and for nine weeks rather than six.

"The holiday season in Wellington at Te Papa is typically a really busy season so we're focusing on doing everything we possibly can to get as many people through," she said.

"Many people would have heard about World of Wearable Art, but seeing it in a Te Papa environment in the school holidays is an opportunity that doesn't happen very often ... and it's been designed and created for everyone."

Ching-Tregidga said they were expecting about 800 people through the doors on opening weekend, and recommended bigger groups consider booking ahead through the website to be safe.

• World of Wearable Art runs from December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021 at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, open every day 10am-6pm.