WEST COAST
WEARABLE ART
Based in Victoria, BC, Canada
Art Beyond the Frame.
Established 2026
In a 
world full of 
boundaries,
we invite 
art to 
move, to transform ,
and to belong to the body.
Wearable art uses the human body as a canvas to tell stories that go beyond fashion trends. It is a fabulous, fantastical conceptual art form that often incorporates diverse and unconventional materials. It brings the gallery to the runway, allowing designers to express their creativity, and challenge conventions through bold and innovative designs.
WCWA Fall 2026
WCWA Team
Dr. Jennifer Risk
Executive Director
Jennifer Risk is a costume designer, costume technician and opera nerd. She currently serves as Department Head in Fashion Design at Pacific Design Academy, and Sewing Program Lead at The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria. In 2021, she earned a PhD in Geography from The Ohio State University. In addition to her work at PDA and ICA, Jennifer also teaches sewing classes independently as Dr. Sew and Sew.
Georgia Tooke
Artistic Director
Georgia Tooke Georgia is a contemporary artist, community facilitator and actor. A proud UVic alum, she earned a BFA in Visual and Performing Arts in 2020. She currently serves as Academic Manager at Pacific Design Academy. When not wrangling faculty and students at PDA, Georgia can be found on stage. Her impressive resume includes performances with Langham Court Theatre, St. Luke’s Players and Theatre Inconnu.
People
We want you
WCWA invites designers and artists working across fashion, costume, performance, and material practice to submit original wearable works. We welcome experimental, process driven, and boundary pushing approaches that place the body at the center of the work.
Place
Victoria, BC
Victoria is located on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples. Shaped by ocean, forest, and climate, it carries layers of history alongside a vibrant contemporary arts community. Place here matters, and so does how we choose to live and create within it.
Purpose
Art that Refuses the Frame
West Coast Wearable Art exists to create a platform where art is worn, performed, and experienced on living bodies rather than confined to galleries. Rooted in place and open to risk, WCWA supports artists who use the body, material, and movement to question boundaries and imagine new ways of being.