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Claire Prebble, Wellington, NZ
World of WearableArt™ 2004; Reflective Surfaces Section; 1st Reflective 1st Supreme

It seems that some people get all the luck – winning WOW Awards, travelling overseas and a job at the famous Weta Workshop, all by the age of twenty!

But Claire Prebble had spent most of her life designing, creating, experimenting and polishing her skills. She says some of her earliest memories are of making things, and that she used to create clothing for her pets and Barbie dolls. Claire grew up in Golden Bay (Tasman district) where there are lots of artists and creative people in the local community to provide inspiration and support. When she was eight she was encouraged by a member of the local craft store to sell her creations there. "It was the start of things to come and gave me the confidence to put my work out there. I've been making and selling art pieces, jewellery and costumes ever since".

That same year she entered the annual World of WearableArt™ competition for the first time and was a finalist in the 1994 Children's section with The Junk Fish, which she created with her mother. Claire was so enthusiastic that she entered the next year on her own and continued entering every year after that. In 2001 she gained two Highly Commended Awards for her entry Perelandra.

During this time Claire was being home-schooled, and she also attended the local intermediate and college for a few years. However, she was so enthusiastic about her creative work that she decided to leave school at 13 so that she could concentrate on her artistic career. This was carefully thought through and her parents supported her, but Claire says it was still a big step to take and proved quite a controversial decision. She started doing work experience with local craftspeople and artisans and attended an alternative education course run by the Golden Bay Work Centre. A year later, Claire won the People's Choice Award and Supreme Award at the Golden Bay Art Awards with Dragonfly Dream, a bodice made of copper wire and beads. She also sold the costume, further encouragement to follow her career path.

In looking back over her work, Claire says that the design process varied for each costume she made. Sometimes, when an idea "just comes to me", she follows it up with lots of sketching to work out the fine details. Other times she might research, looking for ideas in magazines, books, movies, music videos or just going for a walk outside."Inspiration can come from anywhere", she says.

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