Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, 18 October 2022
Neoru, Jayati Saraf, India(Photo by Stephen A’Court)
Every year, WOW receives entries from more than 40 countries and regions around the world. 20 countries and regions are represented in the 2022 finalists – Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
WOW, Competition Director Heather Palmer says, “I have seen thousands of entries over the past 30 years, and the innovation and imagination of our designers never cease to amaze me. Every year we see new perspectives and fresh approaches to wearable art, and just when I think I might have seen it all, a garment comes in that is completely unexpected and like nothing, we’ve seen before.
This year was specially made memorable with Indian Designer Jayati Saraf winning two prestigious awards. She was conferred with the Overall International Designer Award and International Design Award: Asia at the much-sought-after competition.
Talking about Jayati Saraf’s design, Kat Sprowell said that “The judges loved the shape of them, the volume she achieved and the clever use of colours. Something fresh.”
Jayati, who represented India at the 2022 World of Wearable Arts, participated in the competition hoping to clear the first round and showcase her designs before an international audience comprising many acclaimed and celebrated names from the fashion industry.
“I feel humbled and proud to have been able to present my work before some of the best designers from around the world. Winning the two awards is like icing on the cake. The awards will motivate me to further push my creative boundaries and come up with new and unique artistic designs,” says Jayati.
Jayati’s creation showcased at World Of Wearable Art, Wellington (Photo by Hagen Hopkins)
She drew inspiration from the beauty of the natural creations surrounding her life and came up with her interpretation of the honeycomb.
Jayati says the WOW competition is very popular amongst students at India’s fashion design schools.
“In my college, there were 40 students in Delhi applying to enter WOW – it’s really big, it’s quite a thing there.”
This year, WOW saw 88 finalist entries by 103 designers from 20 countries, many of whom applied with their entries in 2020.
Jayati Saraf, Designer & Entrepreneur
Jayati, who was born into a business family, was always attracted to fashion and design but was hesitant to have a career in fashion. She pursued studies in accounting and finance, but eventually her love and passion for designing outweighed her hesitation and she decided to pursue her passion as a career. She enrolled in a fashion design course at Pearl Academy in 2018 and has not looked back since.
As Jayati maps her future as a designer, she aims to apply the knowledge she has gained and the learnings in store to take her brand MeLova to global heights.
World of Wearable Art show concluded on Sunday, 16th October 2022 and has received immense praise from visitors for the creative excellence it offered.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Hamilton.
