Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny shone bright in Cannes in a Junk Kouture creation designed by students from Donegal.
Blind Ambition is a dramatic design created by Aoife McDermott and Jessica McLaughlin from Carndonagh Community School.
The eye-catching dress was made from repurposed blinds sourced from a defective concrete-affected home, giving new life to discarded materials connected to Donegal’s housing material crisis.
Blind Ambition has already secured national recognition, having been named among the 12 winning designs at the Junk Kouture Dublin City Final.
The showstopping creation will now go on to represent Ireland at the Junk Kouture World Final.
Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny pictured as she stepped out at the Cannes Film Festival 2026 in the Junk Kouture creation “Blind Ambition’. Picture Brian McEvoy
Inspired by designers including John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood, the piece explores themes of perception and determination.
Aoife and Jessica constructed the dress using weaving, edging and layering techniques, transforming waste materials into a striking couture design.
Caoimhe Kenny, who has strong roots in Inishowen, will represent Ireland at Miss World in Vietnam this September.
You may also be interested in
Caoimhe is the daughter of Stephen and Siobhán Kenny. Her father will be well known to many as the former Republic of Ireland soccer manager. The Kenny family lived in Fahan for a number of years during Stephen Kenny’s time as manager of Derry City.
Caoimhe grew up in Fahan from the age of four to 16 and attended both St Mura’s National School and Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana before moving away with her family as a teenager. She was crowned as Miss Louth and lives in Blackrock near Dundalk.