Brilliance can be aspirational - for some, it can also be daunting.

It's hard to imagine any creative mind not being inspired by the visual feast that is the World of WearableArt (WOW). 

No matter your artistic calling, there is something to impress or inspire you from the annual Wellington spectacle.

If you're not experienced at making garments, being part of WOW may feel like an unobtainable goal. But the truth is - much like the designs themselves - your opportunity is only as limited as your imagination. 

With WOW's 2025 call for entries currently open until 9 April, now's an ideal time to let curiosity kick in.

"Anyone is capable of exceptional creativity - anyone who is drawn to the craft of wearable art has just as much chance to get in as a finalist," declares WOW Head of Competition Sarah Nathan. 

"There are absolutely designers that have worked on this form of art for decades and honed their craft in particular techniques. But every year, close to 50% of the finalists on stage are first-time designers and every year, a really significant percentage of those first timers walk away with awards. 

"If you're passionate about a particular technique - and you can apply that to a wearable art form - you have every chance in the world of success. That goes from any age, any stage, any professional background - people should not underestimate how accessible it actually is."

Inside knowledge

And Nathan should know. 

Her role is to attract designers from all over the globe by creating competition sections that will entice them to rise to the creative challenge - then to facilitate the selection and judging process, all the way through to the point where they take the WOW stage for the awards night and shows.

"On that journey, we develop really quite intimate relationships with our designers as they go through the design process and the entry process.

"When their garments arrive, we go through an extensive process of caring for them, cataloging them, matching them to the right models, and ensuring that those garments are telling the stories that the designers set out to tell. 

"It's a highly talented team of administrators, technicians and managers that together are the kaitiaki of the garments that come to WOW."

Her position gives Nathan plenty of insight into the type of entrants who take the creative plunge - and it's not just full-time artists embracing the opportunity. 

"We have a designer who is a boat builder - he's an expert in working in moulded fibreglass. He has entered the competition several times and won awards because he's taken that craft and applied it to a wearable form. We have electricians, landscape specialists, architects, GPs - people who have developed a skill in a certain thing and go, 'right, how can I reapply this?' - it happens all the time.

"We've got a very successful designer who partners with her mother - she's a vet and creating WOW entries is her therapy. A lot of designers say that to us, the process of making is entirely therapeutic. It's wonderfully indulgent. 

"One of our previous winners said it's an ideal excuse. I know that sounds flippant but sometimes - when you're creative - you kind of need an excuse to do something different because a lot of creatives will have some professional practice or a 9-5 job. Sometimes you just need a reason to do something for yourself. 

"I think that's the beautiful thing with WOW, designers are taking the part of that craft they're passionate about and just doing something that's deeply personal for them. They're not delivering something with commercial restrictions of a brief - it's whatever they want it to be. 

"When we researched what is the motivation for people to join and the number one reason, by a landslide, is simply the joy of creating.

"I think that's a huge part of the attraction, and that is why we get same designers coming back year after year after year - because there's so much reward in that." 

Even playing field

Another misconception around the WOW entry process is that it's a daunting prospect to try to get past those seasoned veterans and big name creatives.

"Both the selection process and then the judging process is blind," Nathan debunks. "That means that what the resident judge and the guest judges see is the garment - they don't know the designers name, what country it's come from, whether its a first time entrant or a regular one.

"They know the garment's name and a little bit of the inspiration behind it or some of the information about the materials it was made from - that's it."

Not only does reputation have nothing to do with it, those experienced designers also provide a community for all WOW entrants to feed off, to bounce ideas around with. Once you've signed up to enter at the WOW Designer Hub, an additional support forum before, during and after the awards is available.

It doesn't have to be a solitary exercise either - with teams of up to three designers allowed. 

Nathan encourages "If you've got someone who's got a complimentary skill to you, team up - do something together - because that gives you moral support, it gives you another skill set that you don't have, it gives you another critical eye."

Advice for would-be WOW designers

Nathan's advice for creatives tempted to dip their toes in the WOW waters is simple.

"Just start. Don't overthink it. If you focus too much on your finished product, that seems to restrict creativity.

"Designers - time after time - will tell us what they thought they were making is so often not what they end up with. The process of creativity and creation takes you on a journey itself, so literally just start."

There's still plenty of time left for summer contemplation - New Zealand designers have until 9 April to complete their garments and online submission before the selection and judging process takes place (20 February for overseas entrants). 

"Don't put it off. Don't let fear overtake you. If you start something, you might not make it for the 2025 competition, but it might be ready for 2026 - there's always going to be a WOW event." 

There are always six different sections to enter in WOW - three recurring sections of Aotearoa, Avant-garde and Open, plus three unique themes changing annually - next year's additional trio are Air, Myths & Legends and Neon.

Nathan notes there is no definitive winning formula - no trends that should influence a creative to try to emulate success. It only comes from being authentic - whatever shape that may be.

"Just do what you are passionate about. Think about your own original creativity. Don't worry about copying or looking at what others have done, just stay true to your own uniqueness. That really shines in the judging room."

Written in partnership with the World of WearableArt. To find out more about the 2025 competition section themes and entry details, click here.