Warrioress of Light

item details

NameWarrioress of Light

ProductionClaire Prebble; designer; 2015; New Zealand

Classificationcostumes (character dress)

Materialssterling silver, quartz crystal, silk

Materials SummarySterling silver wire, Swarovski crystals and silk organza

Registration NumberGH018368

Credit lineGift of Sarah Hornibrooke, David Prebble, Ryan Hornibrooke and Edward Denton in memory of Claire Prebble, 2018

Overview

Warrioress of Light was hand-crafted by Claire Prebble, an internationally recognised costume and accessories designer, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 30 from an aggressive form of melanoma. This is the last costume she made, and was a piece that she continued to work on while ill.

Claire made the costume using her signature technique of knitting silver wire into a lace-like textile, which began to develop as a child, and shows her at the height of her career. Of the piece, she wrote:　

‘This piece is the most deeply personal piece I have created. I first had the idea in Dubai at the age of 19. This piece has grown with me from being a girl into a young woman. It represents the challenges and achievements I have had in my life and how they have shaped me to be who I am today.

‘Love, loss, caring, betrayal, pain, happiness.

‘I have seen the dark and decided it was not for me and I would go toward the light. This piece represents everything light, love, caring, strong, beautiful, sexy, elegant, enchanting, ethereal (feminine).

‘This piece is being created for myself purely because I am compelled to create it.’

Elements of the costume were completed post-humously by Alexandra Denton, Claire's mother-in-law, who also worked for Wētā Workshop in the textiles department.

Career

Claire Prebble grew up in Golden Bay, and began entering the World of Wearable Art competition as a child. In 2004, at just 18, she became the youngest person ever to win the World of Wearable (WOW) Arts Supreme Award. She used her $10,000 prize money to visit the couture house Arushi in Dubai, and then went on to intern at Alexander McQueen’s fashion house in London.

She returned to New Zealand in 2006, and was employed by Richard Taylor of Wētā Workshop in Costume Department. She worked on a range of films including Avatar, The Hobbit, Prince Caspian, Elysium, Transformers and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, creating both costumes and jewellery. In 2014 she was promoted to Head of Costume at Wētā.

As well as working for Wētā, Claire Prebble also continued to develop her own range of couture ‘body jewellery’. In 2011, she was commissioned to make pieces for Kate Moss to wear for a fashion spread for Love magazine. This was followed by a range of commissions for international editorial photo shoots, including Vogue Italia.