The Great Journeys of New Zealand is very proud to be a Major Partner of World of WearableArt®. WOW® is an international design competition & theatrical extravaganza. We both put the world’s best on show.

Bringing together the Greatest Stages on Earth

Our partnership with World of WearableArt brings together the greatest stages on earth. From the surreal and fantastic to the elegant and organic, our shared passion for taking people beyond the ordinary guides us on our journey together:

"There's a natural alignment between Great Journeys of New Zealand and World of WearableArt. World of WearableArt gives designers a stage to showcase their work and we use New Zealand as the greatest stage on Earth."

- Ella Street, The Great Journeys of New Zealand 

The world's Greatest Stage for Designers

To bring our partnership to life, in 2019 we invited finalist designer Stephanie Cossens to join us on an Interislander journey through the Marlborough Sounds along with her award-winning garment, Kākāpō Queen. The surreal scene of Kākāpō Queen coming to life on one of our most beautiful stages was a spectacular and special moment. 

Stephanie Cossen's Kākāpō Queen appeared on stage in the Aotearoa section of the 2018 World of WearableArt Awards Show, coming second in the WETA Workshop Emerging Designer Award. Stephanie found inspiration for creating her garment from our beautiful big backyard, New Zealand.

“It was important for me to capture the strength and resilience of the Kākāpō as they have come back from the brink of extinction.  I wanted to be able to incorporate quite a sculptural element to my garment. I’m really interested in the relationship between the soft and textile aspect of the faux fur with this piece, and also incorporating the firm smoothness of the ceramics. It’s a nice juxtaposition of textures I enjoyed exploring.”

- Stephanie Cossens, Kākāpō Queen Designer