A journey to the ‘Big Apple’ was most certainly an occasion to remember for Moate Community School students, Meabh O Shea, Evie Nugent, Eva Donlon, whose global award winning Junk Kouture fashion creation #TagMe received an invitation to participate in the International Women’s Forum which celebrated 50 years of women changing the world.
The students’ award winning design was showcased during the World Leadership Conference and Gala from May 15-17.
The Women’s Forum was established in New York city in 1974 as a network for leading women in their respective fields to support and inspire each other - an idea powerful enough to travel the world.
For five decades its members have been at the forefront of change and it was only fitting that its 50th anniversary addressed the major forces of global change and how women at the top are making change for good.
The conference featured women leading the way in technology, healthcare and media, as well as exploring the positive impact women have on society, how more women at the top change the world of work for those who follow and where the “women’s movement” is today.
The forum ended on self-expression, how women reveal their values and selves through fashion and how they tell the stories of their lives.
Women Changing World of Fashion
For centuries fashion has played a powerful role in society, from expressing identity, to defining class, to being a force for social change. In the recent decades, the industry has evolved from male designers telling women what to wear to women taking the helm of established designer brands and changing how women dress, how they buy and where this multi-billion dollar industry is heading.
In 2020, Maria Chiuris’ cotton statement tee for Dior proclaimed “we should all be feminists” and retailed for a mere $900, but change in the fashion industry is much more than statements, as this panel demonstrated.
#TagMe had the honour of showcasing their creation during the conference in front of 1,200 business female leaders with Stephanie Phair OBE group president chair of NGG, Farfetch and Martha Wikstrom founder of Atelier Fund as speakers.
The students and their teacher Pamela Keogh also had ample time to do some sightseeing on their trip, visiting FIT school of Art and Design at the University of New York, Central Park, Ground Zero Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, One World Observatory, SoHo, Times Square and Saks of Fifth Avenue.
To experience such iconic locations in New York city was truly a fantastic experience for the three students and Moate CS thanks Junk Kouture for the opportunity to do so.
