Coffee containers, banana, copper wire, and electrical wire were some of the materials Westmeath students made use of to impress the judges at the national Junk Kouture final last Friday. Two stylish projects by Athlone students and one from Moate scooped awards at the grand final of the Junk Kouture Recycled Fashion Competition 2013 at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin.
‘Nespresso Yourself’ from Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, an outift made entirely from coffee containers, was the overall Western Regional Winner and appeared on The Late Late Show on Friday night.
‘Orage Electrique’ from Moate Community School caught the eye of judge Yvonne Holmes and was awarded with the WEEE prize on the night. This outfit incorporated discarded electrical wires.
One Westmeath winner will be taking to a different type catwalk as part of the Red Carpet prize. ‘Banana Belle’ from Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, made from banana and copper wire, was one of the outfits selected to represent Junk Kouture at the Royal Film Premiere in London next November.
Over 80 trendsetting secondary school students from all over Ireland showcased their outrageous fashion designs made from rubbish and recycled materials as they competed in the Junk Kouture final.
With a prize fund of over €20,000, tension ran high as the students modelled their creations in front of the panel of judges and a sold-out capacity crowd. After much deliberation, judges Darren Kennedy, Faye Dinsmore, Tracey Fahey (LSAD ), and Yvonne Holmes (ERP ) hand-picked the winning outfits, and the promising designers were crowned winners of Junk Kouture Recycled Fashion Competition 2013.
The overall winner on the night was ‘Ultra Violet Wash’ from Kilmallock, Co Limerick.
Each winner was presented with their prize by co-founder Elizabeth O’Donnell, who said the grand final was “proof that the talent in secondary schools across Ireland is simply outstanding”.
“Junk Kouture has always seen fascinating entries but this year was exceptional, which made the judges’ decisions extremely difficult. We’re now looking forward to seeing what Junk Kouture 2014 entries bring!” she added
