WW: Tell us about where you are in your life right now and the exciting achievements, activities, events, challenges and projects you are involved in:
I am at present working on the 2012 Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art Show, which will be held from September 27 to October 10. I am busy finalising the script and the music. I have just returned from the Hong Kong Arts Festival and a tour of India. WOW was very well received at the International festival with sell-out audiences who loved the creativity, and amazing procession of costumes and dance. While in Hong Kong our Competition Manager and I had the opportunity to develop a closer relationship with the Hong Kong Fashion Design Institute. They are teaching wearable art as part of their curriculum and we were able to showcase some of their students' work in the Hong Kong Show. Creating wearable art is seen as providing the students with a valuable opportunity to be innovative, original and inventive. I think this bodes well for the future of our competition and I believe the Hong Kong students will benefit by being recognised internationally for their creativity. We were so impressed by some of the garments that we suggested they enter this year's competition, and so some of the Hong Kong garments will travel to New Zealand for judging. In India we have been working with The Fashion Design Council of India in Delhi for the past seven years. They are very supportive of the opportunity that WOW gives to young designers, and of course very proud the Supreme Winners from 2010 were from India. We have just selected costumes from several of the design schools in this region to come to New Zealand for judging this year. Overall it was a very busy and rewarding trip. In December I received the honour of Dame in the 2012 honours list. This was a huge surprise, quite overwhelming and a great honour not only to me but also for all the wonderful people who have been on the WOW journey with me over the years. Being given such recognition is a chance to reflect on the past 23 years, and it's a chance to say thank you to all those friends, family and mentors who have shaped WOW and me along the way. It's
& Now Then
WHO'S WHO 2012 | 13
