Ten Irish teams are heading to the Junk Kouture World Final on Tuesday, 24 February, in the Helix, Dublin.
This year, the sustainable fashion design competition celebrates 16 years of fostering the eco-minded and creative talent of 12-19-year-olds.
To mark the occasion, 60 design teams from around the globe will make their way to Dublin tonight for the Junk Kouture Festival of Creativity and Circularity.
Photo: Brian McEvoy
Selected from the 2024 – 2025 cycle of Junk Kouture, the hopeful teams from Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, the USA, and the UAE will present breathtaking couture designs made entirely from recycled materials.
Click through the photo gallery above or scroll below to see a selection of the finalists’ looks.
La La Lu Veil
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Emilija Milasiute in the creation La La Lu Veil by Emilija Milasiute of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Westmeath, Ireland. Made from plastic milk bottles, plastic packaging straps, pearl beads and a sculptural wide-brimmed hat, create a luminous design that symbolises resilience, unity, and the potential of sustainable fashion.
Marie-Antoinette À La Rose
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Laura Peterfalvi in the creation Marie-Antoinette À La Rose by Laura Peterfalvi, Vaudru Dit Besnard from Lycée Professionnel Ferdinand Buisson, France. The design is made from newspapers, transport tickets and magazines.
Miss Mares
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Lucia Reveulta from Elphin Community College, Roscommon, Ireland, is the creator of Miss Mares. She created a fusion of Basque and Irish maritime culture, crafted from recycled sardine tins, aluminium trays, rope, netting, shells, and donated materials. Inspired by Paco Rabanne’s metalwork, the structured corset and flowing ocean silhouette highlight the devastating impact of overfishing and ocean pollution, and the urgent need for marine conservation.
Gear Glamour
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Ellen Chapman in the creation Gear Glamour by Ellen Chapman, Anna Murphy, Kayla Butler of Ramsgrange Community School, Wexford, Ireland. Made from wheel spokes, tyre tubes, bicycle covers, tyres, chains and brake cables to promote cycling as an eco-friendly transport alternative.
Mirrorball
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Sophie Lorenzo-Luace in the creation, Mirrorball, by Leonardo Iglesias, Sophie Lorenzo-Luace of TERRA Environmental Research Institute, USA. Made from over 30,000 recycled can tabs, the design symbolises the Earth’s resilience and shows how small actions, when brought together, can create powerful change through responsible consumption.
The War Between The Land and The Sea
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Olivia Bowie-Gray in the creation, The War Between The Land and The Sea, by Lux Bowie-Gray, Olivia Bowie-Gray, Joel Small of Firrhill High School in Edinburgh, Scotland. Inspired by sunlight on the ocean floor, splashing waves, whirlpools and jellyfish forms, this design highlights the growing crisis of plastic pollution.
Blazing Muse
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Isabel Ryder wearing Blazing Muse, a creation by Isabel Ryder, Niamh Donohoe, Lilly Mangan of Presentation Secondary School, Wexford, Ireland. Inspired by Jean Paul Gaultier, Blazing Muse transforms a damaged tarpaulin trailer curtain into a bold statement piece.
Golden Phoenix Fortune
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Golden Phoenix Fortune by Hanyun Xu, Asia Rubini, Viviana Furgiuele from Liceo Artistico Enzo Rossi in Italy. Made from fortune cookie wrappers, old tablecloths and packaging.
Torn By Motor Neurone Disease
Photo Credit: Brian McEvoy
Torn By Motor Neurone Disease by Rachel Bruce, Josephine Gobert, Sabine Larsen of Fairgreen International School, UAE. Created as a tribute to team member Rachel’s grandmother, this is a powerful piece raising awareness of MND. Using repurposed materials, the design tells a story of physical and emotional deterioration, from a corset of crushed coffee pods symbolising restriction, to skeletal wire ribs reflecting frailty and loss of strength.