Almost 40 boundary-pushing wearable artworks have wowed audiences at an annual event on the Sunshine Coast.
Designers and artists showcased their creative outfits on a 27m catwalk at the annual Australian Wearable Art Festival, at Venue 114 at Bokarina.
Brisbane-based artist Isabelle Cameron claimed the event’s highest honour – Supreme Winner – for the second year in a row.
Her outstanding crochet piece ‘Stardust’ also won the Avant Garde category and she was one of four artists chosen to be featured in the Textile Fibre Forum magazine.
The judges were Queensland Gallery of Modern Art curator Jacinta Giles and renowned floral wearable artist Julia Rose.
Dr Giles said Ms Cameron’s piece stood out because it was created with a high level of technical skill with a fresh and innovative design.
“The piece engaged the audience through a sense of joy and cheekiness and moved seamlessly on the model,” she said.
The symbology of ‘Stardust’ represents the artist unmasking and expressing autistic joy, embodying terror and beauty. The piece encourages viewers to embrace their true selves.
Using crochet as her technique, Ms Cameron showcased the often-underestimated and under-created craft as fun, daring, dynamic and limitless.
With participants hailing from all corners of the world, including Romania, Japan, the United States and across Australia, the event demonstrated its reputation as a growing international art and fashion spectacle.
Among the festival’s four main categories – Trashion, Sustainable Nature, Floriana and Avant Garde – the audience witnessed spectacular works made from plastic water bottles, inner tubes of bicycle tires, 3D printing and flowers.
Local artist Viera Keogh was overwhelmed to take home the People’s Choice award, a new category for 2024, Best Headpiece and the Floriana category.
“This piece is a heartfelt protest inspired by the peaceful Velvet Revolution in Slovakia and my aim is to show that victory can be achieved without weapons,” she said.
“I spent most of last year growing and drying flowers from my home for this entry and I am so pleased to have my work recognised in this way.”
The festival will return from August 8-9 next year.
Australian Wearable Art Festival 2024 winners
- Supreme Winner sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Council: Isabelle Cameron from Brisbane – ‘Stardust’
- Trashion sponsored by In Noosa Magazine and Hello Sunshine Magazine: Antoaneta Tica from Romania – ‘Sprinkle’ Runner Up: Natalie Hamblin from Queensland – ‘Plastic Rain’
- Sustainable Nature sponsored by Argon Law: Vivien Eardley from Queensland- ‘Tigresa’. Runner Up: Eloise Galea from New South Wales – ‘Shed-Nava’
- Floriana sponsored by Fresh PR & Marketing: Viera Keogh from Queensland – ‘Homage to Humanity’. Runner Up: Karen Jones from Queensland – ‘Sing Sing’
- Avant-Garde sponsored by the DeDeyne Family: Isabelle Cameron from Brisbane – ‘Stardust’. Runner Up: Viera Keogh from Queensland – ‘Homage to Humanity’
- Best Headpiece sponsored by My Weekly Preview: Viera Keogh from Queensland – ‘Homage to Humanity’.
- People’s Choice sponsored by 92.7 Mix FM: Viera Keogh from Queensland – ‘Homage to Humanity’
- Emerging Wearable Artist sponsored by Helen Perry and Wendy Roe: Suzy Syme and Andrew Costa from Queensland – ‘Reef Rising’
- Textile Artwear Publications Winners (who receive editorial coverage in the Textile Fibre Forum magazine): Natalie Hamblin from Queensland – ‘Plastic Rain’, Isabelle Cameron from Brisbane – ‘Stardust’, Antoaneta Tica from Romania – ‘Sprinkle’, Suzy Syme and Andrew Costa from Queensland – ‘Reef Rising’
