What do Justin Bieber, Adele and some secondary school students from Mayo have in common? Well on April 14 2016 they can all say that they have performed in the 3 Arena Dublin! Creative teams from across the country will take to Ireland’s most prestigious stage to showcase their couture creations made from rubbish as part of the Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture competition hosted by Xpose’s Glenda Gilson.
Two entries from Mayo have achieved a place in this year’s grand final. St Mary's Secondary School, Ballina’s students Danielle Carey, Jennifer Byrne and Leona Lavelle designed Scalelectric from salmon skins. The Ballina students were mentored by their teacher Renee Cronin. St Josephs Secondary School, Castlebar also have a design that has made it through to the final - Beccara Bandini was made entirely from car tyre tubings by Una Togher Anna Coll and Rachel Barrett along with the help of their teacher Ann Geary.
These teams’ successfully competed in the western regional final at the start of the month, with only twenty designs making it through to the Grand Final. Each team now hopes to walk away with the top prize of €2,500 for their school, iPad Minis and €500 cash for the team.
Students could also win the chance to walk the red carpet at the Royal Film Premiere in London with the Bank of Ireland Glamour prize or even a Limerick School of Art and Design Scholarship to cover their fees at the college for one full year of study. Each of the grand finalists will be adjudicated by the lovely Junk judges; model and DJ Vogue Williams; stylist and TV presenter, Rob Condon; design educator from L.S.A.D., Dr Tracy Fahey; Vogue India’s Lorna McGee; and not forgetting the one and only Louis Walsh.
As part of the judging process, the public can get involved by casting a vote for their favourite design through the Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture voting app. Accessed through the BOIStudents Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BOIstudents ), voting opens 9am Monday 28th March and will close midnight Friday 8th April. Individuals can cast a single vote every 24hours. Votes account for 10% of the final mark and can make a huge difference in such a heated competition. Bank of Ireland is encouraging students to think innovatively about how they gather support through the voting app with the special Bank of Ireland Award in the mix for the most enterprising team.
