A Beacon of Hope

 Read more from Eva-Maria here.

 Read Eva-Maria's article on the World of Wearable Arts here.

There aren’t many beacons of hope for young people these days. I remember our teachers telling us that their childhood dreams were to be the first female president of America, to win a Nobel Peace Prize, or to go to the moon. Many of these have either been accomplished i.e. going to the moon, some haven’t happened yet i.e. being the first female president of America, and some are on-going i.e. the Nobel Peace Prize.

Looking back at these innocent childhood days, even in my day (I’m not THAT old, but hey) these dreams were not as popular. Sure, some big dreams still exist within the growing up society in New Zealand, but many are very much more every day career oriented, for example working for Microsoft was a biggie – everyone wanted to be the next ‘IT’ generation of workers. Lots of peers wanted to try out acting, or be in animation design to make cartoons. When I was 6, as any little Russian child, my dream was to always go out to space, become an ice skater, or play professional soccer. Coming to New Zealand, a simple scanning job at a supermarket was novelty for me – we didn’t have these scanners in Russia at the time – everyone bought their groceries fresh at the markets every day.

My point is, in today’s world, there aren’t many ‘big’ accomplishments or visions being strived for. Or maybe there are, but they get lost because very soon we all realize the realism of life – it’s a dull life with 9-5 jobs with people earning money to buy things they don’t really need, usually with money they don’t even have. Sure, there are many awards you can aim to be nominated for in any chosen field, but to have something truly big that you are a part of on your life CV, is very low on the priorities list.

Enter the Montana World of Wearable Arts Show. What I love about this concept is it ticks many boxes – it’s entertainment for the wider public, it’s a way to see up-coming creatives of today’s world, and there is a sense of accomplishment even if you do go home without having won an award – having your design in the show was already an accomplishment in itself.

I am very proud to see the many commended awards presented on the Awards night of the show, one of which is for the younger participants. It’s important to realize potential and talent. It’s even more important to realize this talent in our young people. My views are biased, but I’m sure I will stick to them for a while. As young people are coming into shaping the world’s future, it’s important to recognize their input, and truly congratulate the ones that are making a difference.

The show is very hard work – for anyone, of any age. Considering the popular belief that younger people are less mature, less experienced, and less skilled, whether these are right of wrong, to still enter into a show, knowing there are people out there who have been doing this for ages, who have had more life experience, and know more than you, is success in my eyes. I come across many young people in schools when I present seminars, where young people are intimidated, and are scared to show what they can do to the public. This is no one’s fault, but when these young people see that there’s nothing to be afraid of, and people actually WANT to see them achieve, is amazing.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to one of the designers, who was a University student, and with his fellow designer friend, came all the way from India to see their design up on the big stage, shown to over 40,000 viewers over the course of the show. They won a runner-up award in the young achiever’s section. What was amazing was to see these people who have put hundreds of hours of work, proud to be sitting there, with their design alongside other people from all walks of life, and all ages, and still be positive, and grateful that they made it this far.

Just a few quick questions and answers from the two lovely entrant designers Rishabh Rhode and Ragini Ahuja, both 21 years old students at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, India…here’s some very insightful answers into the Gen Y entrants of WOW and their award-winning design ‘Multi-Plug’…

When did you first hear about the Montana World of Wearable Arts Show?

The first time we heard about Montana World of Wearable Arts Show in 2006 when Naresh Kukereja and Shivain Bhatia won the WOW Factor Award for their entry in the Bizzare Bra Category. They are from the same university as ours (they are our seniors).

What motivated you to enter the Montana World of Wearable Arts?

The whole concept of taking art off the wall and adorning the body.

Where did you find inspiration for 'Multi-Plug'?

Our inspiration for our creation was today's generation which is obsessed with mobile phones and how we feel handicapped if the phone runs out of battery.

To have a medium such as the Montana World of Wearable Art, to strive to have your designs included, and shown to thousands of people who come to Wellington every year from all over the world, is a great beacon of hope in my eyes. Budding fashion designers, design students, and talented individuals see this show as somewhat of an inspiration – something to look forward to, and standards to aim for. I think it’s a fabulous way to encourage upcoming designers to really spread their imagination and ‘take art off the wall and put it on the human body’, like Suzie Montcrieff imagined.

There are not many mediums left in the world which give as big of a statement as the Montana World of Wearable Art Show which pull off something as amazing as this show to encourage people to showcase their talent and dreams. It’s great to see that over the years many more young designers are entering it, otherwise the award for the younger participants wouldn’t have been created.

To all young designers you may know, strongly urge them to spread into WOW – every single year, thousands of applicants enter the show, and so can someone close to you: www.worldofwearableart.com

To enter this show, is a brave step, and a really inspiring one – to understand that age doesn’t matter – what matters is your passion, vision, skill and talent, and New Zealand really is special to have something such as this be available centre-stage for designers from all over the world to inspire and really WOW us.