A past pupil of Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone has been chosen as a student judge in this year’s Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture fashion competition.
Previous prize winner Romy Marren will make her judging debut at the Northern Regional Final in the Millennium Forum, Derry on March 6, 2017.
Romy was a contestant in the 2013 competition with her design ‘Banana Belle’, a dress made completely out of dried banana skins and copper wire. The dress was inspired by her desire to not only use a recyclable material but one that was biodegradable, and methods such as crocheting, weaving, and stitching were used to achieve the end result.
‘Banana Belle’ took second place in the Western Region of the competition, and won the Bank of Ireland Glamour Prize, which saw Romy walk the red carpet at the premiere of Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom in Leicester Square, London.
Romy is currently in her second year of studying architecture at the Dublin School of Architecture. Romy has a passion for creativity, and has always wanted to pursue a career in design. She credits studying art and design throughout school and her involvement in Junk Kouture for inspiring this career choice.
Romy commented; “I am incredibly excited to be on the judging panel at this year’s Northern Regional Final. I will be looking out for those who have taken a risk in choosing their material and also how they worked with the material. The designs that will really stand out to me will be by those who enjoy themselves whilst performing on stage. I would highly recommend participating in Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture to any secondary school student, it was one of the best memories I have from school and it’s a great way to harness your creativity and use it in a fun and memorable way.”
Romy will be part of a panel of fashion experts including womenswear designer Rhys Ellis, Limerick School of Art and Design’s Tracy Fahey, and Griffith College’s Jane Leavey who will help determine the regional finalists to progress to the grand final in the 3Arena, Dublin in April 2017.
Online registration will open on January 9 and close at midnight on January 27, 2017 on www.boijunkkouture.com
