Local creator Gill Saunders is a WOW finalist once again.
After a two-year Covid hiatus, designers from all over the world will descend on Te Whanganui-a-Tara for the iconic event, which opens 29 September and runs until 16 October.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Gill Saunders’ background in furniture and textile design has served her well, competing in WOW since 2002.
She is also a former winner, but not only that, a Supreme Award Winner.
Formally trained in surface patterns, with a stint working on movies as an armoury assistant in Sydney, she returned to the UK to retrain in theatre design, moving into theatre, TV, and film.
“I was the first female stagehand Grenada Films hired in 1993.”
Gill says she has entered almost all of the categories over the years.
“I normally work to the open category and then change it once the themes have been announced.”
The creation process can take anywhere from 6 to 9 months.
“Normally I start before the show and then I go to the show, get completely inspired, and end up changing it,” she says.
And where does she find her inspiration?
“Everywhere really, I can read a book and see a sentence.
“I can see a pair of shoes, and in my head I can see the whole garment that goes with them,” she says. “It’s exhausting. I can’t shut it off.”
She will be attending this year’s event.
“I always try to go to the event,” she says. “You are making it on a mannequin and then it’s transformed into a living, breathing, moving thing, so the designers only do half the work. The models embody the work.”
Looking back over previous entries Gill smiles and says she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
“l still have one more garment to complete a set of three.”
Unable to describe her garment for this year’s entry, as it is in the process of being judged, she says the inspiration comes from shoes, fabric, and travelling overseas.
