Laois students absolutely delighted with their Junk Koutoure win

Three Mountrath school students are absolutely delighted to be national winners in the Junk Koutoure waste to fashion contest.

Ellen Rowny, Fial Dalton and Chloe Cross from Mountrath Community School made it to the national shortlist and walked away with one of the top prizes in what has grown to be a huge competition for creatively environment conscious secondary school students.

The trio won the National Enterprise Award with their entry Alarming Twists.

The students stripped down old alarm cables and use the wire inside to crochet trousers and flowers for the cape. They stripped copper wire and plaited it to design the shoes, tie the cape together and crochet the necklace.

The team sourced old plastic bags and used them for the top. Plastic bottles were used for the headpiece. MORE BELOW PIC.

"We are so delighted to be chosen as the Junk Kouture Enterprise Award Winners 2021," said the Alarming Twists team.

"We couldn’t believe it, all the time spent promoting our design paid off. The award was given to the team who promoted their design most creatively and effectively," said the Mountrath students.

They also featured in the RTÉ broadcast of the Junk Koutoure Awards and enjoyed the day of filming.

"On October 1st we travelled to Ballybeg House, Co. Wicklow with our teacher Ms Anne-Maire O’Connor (and the support of our other art teacher Ms Therese McGrath who was on maternity leave.) for the filming of the Junk Kouture Grand Final. Thankfully it was a beautiful sunny day. MORE BELOW PIC.

"We were guided to the main dressing room where we got ready for the exciting day ahead. We were then interviewed by the programme's hosts Seán Tracey and Orla Morris Toolen. Lots of videos and pictures were taken over the course of the day. We did a catwalk and all the judges looked at our outfit. Roz Purcell, one of the judges, said she loved the concept of our design. We were very lucky to be chosen out of all the other brilliant designs.

"It was an amazing experience, one to remember. We are so excited to have represented Laois at the Grand Final," the said. MORE BELOW PIC.

Alicia Rostermundt (17) of Coláiste Bríde, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, secured the top prize at the 2021 Junk Kouture final on Thursday, December 10 as her design Iconoclastic Fantastic reigned supreme over 39 other designs.

The expert Junk Kouture judging panel included Roz Purcell, Louis Walsh, Michelle Visage, and Stephen McLaughlin. The technical judges Head of Department of Fine Art and Education in Limerick School of Art and Design Dr Tracy Fahey and Programme Director for Fashion Design at Griffith College Jane Leavy.

Live regional finals in venues across Ireland are scheduled to return in March 2022 and successful entrants will then battle it out at the national final in Dublin scheduled for May 2022, in the hopes of winning one of ten coveted spots to compete at the Junk Kouture World Final later next year.

If designers think they have what it takes to make it on the global stage, they can enter as an individual or as a team with a maximum of three members.

Visit www.JunkKouture.com