An inaugural wearable arts competition is aiming to inspire locals to try their hand at fashion.
Art in Motion is the brainchild of three workmates, Robyn Valentine, Fiona Pierce and Catherine Neill.
Mrs Valentine said while entries had to be in by the end of May the pieces would not need to be constructed until September.
‘‘You can finish it the night before the event, if you want.’’
The trio had created the competition as a taster for others to see how much fun wearable arts competitions could be.
‘‘It’s so addictive once you get into it.’’
Mrs Valentine said she sat in the audience at the New Zealand Hat and Hair Awards for years, wishing she had the courage to participate.
The popular awards had been held at the Theatre Royal on the same weekend as the Rose Festival, and she said people paid ‘‘quite a bit of money’’ to attend.
‘‘And then I plucked up the courage to do it.’’
She said when she saw her creation come out on stage, she was gobsmacked.
‘‘You know, when you get the lights and everything, even something quite simple can look really great.
‘‘We wanted to just bring an opportunity for people to have a go and feel the excitement and passion that we feel when we make something and it’s on stage.’’
For those feeling daunted about creating a complete outfit, the trio had created a category for something to carry or hold.
She said the event would supply models for the category who would be dressed in black.
Entrants would then be able to focus on a simple item like an umbrella, handbag, suitcase, hat box, tool or even a weapon.
‘‘I think that back in the day when the Hat and Hair was on, a hat was achievable for me, because it’s just a hat, right?
‘‘It’s one little thing.
‘‘It doesn’t cost a whole lot of money for the materials, and not too much time.’’
She said the item could be knitted, sewn or anything the potential artist could think of.
The competition had great prizes through sponsors from around town.
She said an entrance fee would cover the ticket to the show and photographs by a professional photographer.
