Three designers earn Wow awards places

Three Central Otago designers have been announced as finalist designers for this year's World of WearableArt (Wow) Awards Show - but their entries are still ''top secret''.

Other than the category in which the designs would appear in the show, information about Wow entries was kept under wraps until the opening of the event, 2019 finalist Carolyn Laing, of Clyde, said.

Mrs Laing and her close friend Debbie Paton, also of Clyde, were told last week their joint creation had been accepted as a Wow entry and the list of finalists was released publicly yesterday.

Ruth Arkless, formerly of Dunedin, and now of Cromwell, has also had her entry accepted.

The three are the only designers in Otago or Southland to be accepted into this year's Wow event, which will feature 108 creations from 115 designers from 22 countries.

Mrs Laing is a four-time Wow competitor who is also well known for her entries in the WoolOn Creative Fashion Event in Central Otago. She was last accepted as a Wow designer last year and said she was looking forward to being part of Wow for a fourth time.

Mrs Paton was accepted for Wow for the first time in 2017, when she was the only Otago designer to be accepted for the event.

She said she was ''thrilled'' and ''blown away'' to have again been accepted into Wow, and it had been ''wonderful'' working with Mrs Laing to create their joint entry, which would feature in Wow's ''Aotearoa'' category.

Ms Arkless, a science teacher, had her first design in Wow last year.

She said her entry this year was ''not as science-based'' as last year's, and was a nod to her parents, who were both mountain guides.

The entry will feature in Wow's ''white'' category.'

Wow runs in Wellington from September 26 to October 13.

pam.jones@odt.co.nz