Winning Wearable Art Designs on Display at Toi Ohomai

Bay of Plenty residents have a rare opportunity to experience some of New Zealand's most innovative wearable art as Unveiled: The Digital Seam opens at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology's Tauranga campus.

Held at the institute's Te Ara o Mauao Gallery, the month-long exhibition is free to visit and features 22 wearable artworks, many of which were created for the World of WearableArt (WOW) competition between 2009 and 2023.

Curated by Toi Ohomai Principal Academic Staff Member Anne-Marie Simon, Unveiled: The Digital Seam includes works by six wearable art designers. Highlights include Tauranga-born designer Georgia Chalmers-Jones' The Golden Age of Queens, winner of the 2023 WOW New Zealand Designer Award; Béatrice Carlson's Marquise Rāwahi, winner of the 2012 WOW South Pacific Award; and Deb Shephard's City Lolita, winner of WOW's Shell Sustainable Award in 2012. Donna Dinsdale's Wāhine Toa (2022), Kerry Funnell's DIY Divas (2019), Cherryl Marriott's Private 11513: Reinvent the Uniform (2015), and Blue Tits: Birds of a Feather (2014) are also on display.

The exhibition grew from research undertaken by Toi Ohomai academic Anne-Marie Simon in 2025, exploring how wearable art designers combine digital technologies with traditional techniques to develop their creative works. As part of the research project, Anne-Marie interviewed former WOW finalists about their design processes, materials and methods. Inspired by those conversations, she took on two creative challenges of her own: curating an exhibition celebrating wearable art and entering WOW for the first time in 2026.

Anne-Marie's own wearable artwork, It Takes All Sorts, was selected as a finalist in the Bizarre Bra Section of the 2026 WOW competition. Inspired by RJ's Licorice Allsorts, the sculptural piece features oversized lolly-inspired forms, bold colours and playful patterns.

"I wanted to experience the creative process from the perspective of a WOW designer, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome," Anne-Marie says.

Running weekdays until Friday 6 November, Unveiled: The Digital Seam offers visitors a rare chance to experience wearable artworks up close in Tauranga.

"The gallery setting allows visitors to closely see the intricate craftsmanship, materials and innovative construction techniques behind each piece. It's the first time several previous WOW entries have been displayed together in Tauranga, and we're grateful to the exhibiting designers for making it possible."

Please note: This exhibition is not associated with World of WearableArt® (WOW).

Unveiled: The Digital Seam

Exhibition dates: Weekdays from Monday 12 October -  Friday 6 November, 10am - 2pm.
Venue: Te Ara o Mauao Gallery (M Block), Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, 70 Windermere Drive, Tauranga.
Entry is free. To find out more, click here.