Oamaru artist wows judges for second time
Described as "the Oscars for wearable art", Wow recently announced its 2025 competition finalists, with a total of 86 entries selected from 17 countries set to star in one of New Zealand's most spectacular arena shows hosted in Wellington from September 18 to October 5.
The finalist's garments will be showcased to about 60,000 attendees.
Herbert-based Vickers was also a finalist in 2023 with her entry Maiden of the Ferns.
"It's quite surreal. I know what to expect this time round, whereas last time it was the unknown.
"I'm very excited," she said.
Vickers is the first North Otago artist to be a Wow finalist since 2003.
Her entry for the 2025 Wow Show, RISE, was inspired by the beauty of the ocean's reefs and the plague of plastic pollution in the seas.
Wow's head of competition Sarah Nathan said the judging process to select the finalists' garments, some of which are years in the making, was as difficult as ever.
"This year the level of artistry, artisanal skills and the range of materials used by our finalists is simply phenomenal," Mrs Nathan said.
The three recurring sections, Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, remained. The special section themes this year were Myths and Legends, Air and Neon — and the result was a riot of colour, quirk and curiosity, Mrs Nathan said.
Although Vickers could not reveal details about her entry or the category it was in, she told the Oamaru Mail she used "purely soft plastics" that she collected, including over 100 milk bottles, that were transformed beyond their everyday appearance to design the piece.
Vickers had her first idea for the creation at the end of 2023 and built on the success of her last Wow entry.
"I learned so much from the last one ... I definitely feel like I improved on the construction this time, and by using a different design, I've learned more techniques and redeveloped the materials from my last work, and improved on them.
Vickers said it was an "anxious" seven-week wait to find out if she had made it to the finals this year.
Vickers, who has run her furniture restoration and upholstery business for six years, has a bachelor of design degree majoring in three-dimensional design, from Unitech, in Auckland.
She took a "gap year" from Wow in 2024 as she said it was "all consuming".
"I'm still consumed in it — it's still on my mind now to create another one," she said.
The Herbert-based designer said she "chipped away" at her idea, and, like her last entry, had "multiple ideas" that evolved as she worked on the piece.
She was happy that what she envisioned for her design "all came together at the end".
The mother of Owen, 12, and Olivia, 9, juggled work and home life, working "late nights right up till the deadline" to finish her creation.
Her 2023 entry took Vickers 500 hours. This year's piece "took even longer", although this time she had a little help.
"It's been amazing working with my daughter Olivia. She was up in my studio helping me process some of the materials, so the kids see it the whole way through, which is quite cool.
"I love to instil that work ethic in my kids, that if they really want to do something, they should go for it," she said.
Vickers will be among other finalist designers who will attend the awards night in Wellington on September 19 when $200,000 worth of prizes will be announced.
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