Kerry Fewster, who trained at Hull School of Art and Design, brought her Avant-Garde piece “Where She Left the Needle” to Wellington, New Zealand
Kerry Fewster, former Hull School of Art and Design student and Hull College lecturer, has been shortlisted at the World of Wearable Art Awards in New Zealand(Image: Kerry Fewster, Submitted)
A designer who learned her trade in Hull has taken her art to the other side of the world after she was selected as a finalist in a prestigious art competition in New Zealand, with a design heavily inspired by her Yorkshire roots. Kerry Fewster, a former student of Hull School of Art & Design who later returned to teach at Hull College, saw her design shortlisted in the 2026 World of Wearable Art Awards in Wellington, starting this week.
Currently a fashion and art lecturer at Doncaster College, Kerry is the designer behind independent leather Hull-based studio VELLUM. Her work took to the stage on September 17 as part of the World of Wearable Art (WOW) Awards Show. The exhibition runs until October 4. Her piece, Where She Left the Needle, progressed through the international selection and judging process and will appear in the Avant-Garde category of the 2026 production.
The work has a deeply personal connection to Kerry’s Yorkshire roots and was inspired by the tapestries made by her grandmother. Combining hand-formed leather, sections of tapestry and vintage wool, the piece explores the contrast between the finished surface of traditional needlework and the tangled threads, knots and unfinished work normally hidden behind it.
Kerry decided to make these usually-concealed elements part of the design. She said: “The piece started with my grandma’s tapestries. I was fascinated not only by the finished images, but by what was happening behind them, the knots, loose threads and areas she hadn’t completed and where she literally left her needle. I wanted an element of the work to feel as though someone had simply put the needle down and walked away, leaving the making process visible. To now see something so personal make it all the way to an international stage in New Zealand is quite surreal.”
Kerry works across fashion, leathercraft, wearable art and education and currently teaches Fashion and Art at Doncaster College. Alongside her teaching, she has continued to develop her own creative practice, specialising in sculptural leather pieces that explore the relationship between material, body, craft and storytelling. Kerry says she hopes that reaching an international competition while continuing to work within further education will also provide a valuable message for her students.
“One of the biggest things I try to teach my students is that experimentation matters. You don’t always know where an idea is going when you start it. I spend my working week encouraging young creatives to take risks, develop their own visual language and put their work out into the world, so I think it’s important that I continue doing exactly that myself.”
While Kerry did not make it to Wellington for the opening of the 2026 World of Wearable Art Awards Show, which began on 17 September, she says she plans to bring the experience of being featured in the competition back into the classroom through talks and workshops with students, exploring international competition, creative practice, portfolio development and the opportunities available within the global creative industries.
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