WOW® World of WearableArt™

Exhibition Website

Jun 22 2019 - Sep 22 2019

For the last 25 years, New Zealand has hosted an annual design competition that challenges sculptors, costume designers, textile artists and makers of all stripes to explore the boundary between fashion and art, and to "get art off the walls and onto the body." The WOW® World of WearableArt competition is the country's largest art event and each year it culminates in a live runway show for winners in front of an audience of 50,000. 

WOW® World of WearableArt — the exhibition — presents 32 ensembles the competition's most unique, spectacular and outlandish wearable artworks. Expertly crafted in a range of materials, from wood and aluminum to fiberglass and taxidermy, these creations celebrate lavish creativity and push the limits of wearability. PEM is the exclusive U.S. east coast venue for this interactive and theatrical exhibition.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website



  • Costume
  • Asian
  • Contemporary
  • Design
  • Austronesia
  • Various artists

Exhibition Venues & Dates