Australia has been cast down from the King of the Wrap World's throne, with Florida's MetroWrapz taking the top prize at Avery Dennison's Wrap Like a King finals at the 2018 Sema show in Las Vegas.
MetroWrapz beat out Launceston's Fingerprint Signs, as well as Funkeefish from the UK and WrapStyle Korea, to wrest the title of King of the Wrap World away from Australia for the first time.
The winning design from MetroWrapz, Mission Flyer 2.0, was based on the WWII-era P51 Mustang aircrafts used by the Tuskegee Airmen. According to Bruno Dede, president of MetroWrapz, the level of attention to detail on the project had raised the bar for the company. "Chrome film with a matte lamination set this one of a kind wrap apart, and Avery Dennison film helped us stay true to the Air Force plane that inspired this project," said Dede.
"MetroWrapz earned the global wrap king title against a competitive field, and we’re proud to have the shop represent the installers that use our films," said Jeff Losch, marketing director, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions.
The aged look was in among entries this year, said Justin Pate, co-owner of The Wrap Institute, who served on the eight-judge panel. “Weathered effects were a big trend among entries in 2018, with three of the four continent winners using printing and lamination to create rusted, worn looks,” he said. “MetroWrapz came through with the most impressive project that took Conform Chrome and Supreme Wrapping Film to unconventional places.”
The former reigning champion, Nick Caminiti of Exotic Graphix in Melbourne, hung up his crown this year after two consecutive victories.