PICTURES: Tipperary students turn waste into fashion for Junk Kouture competition

Students from three different schools in Tipperary Students have secured a place in the regional finals of the Junk Kouture fashion competition with six inventive upcycled designs.

Groups from Borrisokane Community College, Cashel Community School and St Anne’s Secondary School in Tipperary Town, will all make the trip to The Helix in Dublin to show judges their designs. The regional finals take place on Monday March 9 until Wednesday March 11.

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Junk Kouture is a global, youth-focused sustainable fashion competition where participants aged 12–19 design, create and model high-end couture outfits made entirely from 100% recycled materials. Founded in Ireland in 2010, it transforms waste into wearable art, promoting environmental sustainability, creativity, and engineering skills.

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Borrisokane Community College will be represented by two groups at the competition.

In a statement released by the school, they said: “Nine entries were submitted recently and as we congratulate those who will take part in the Final, all students involved are to be commended on their hard work.”

One design by students is ‘Danger on the Dairy’ by Ella Ryan and Julie Ryan. The students say the focus on this design is on farm safety and materials used include scrap pieces of bale wrap, meal bags, wire, wool and straw.

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The bold shapes and print are designed to stop people in their tracks and make them think about the serious dangers existing in the everyday reality of dairy life.

‘From bottles to blossoms’ is the second design to qualify, created by Ciara Maher and Louise Killeen. This design celebrates the transformative power of sport and its ability to empower lives.

The dress is crafted from over 800 Lucozade bottles that have been cut, melted, sprayed, drilled and pinned. The floral headpiece draws inspiration from Frida Kahlo, whose artwork was deeply influenced by her resilience and perseverance.

Cashel Community School were also successful in securing a coveted place in this year’s Junk Kouture regional final with their stunning entry entitled ‘MajestiqueNatura’. The team behind the design comprises students Nicole Stan, Magda Stankiewicz, and Emily Bowes.

The costume is based on the incredible beauty of nature and highlights the need to preserve it for generations to come. The materials used in creating the piece were entirely repurposed, demonstrating remarkable creativity and sustainability.

These included old parchment paper, net curtains from Nicole’s great grandmother’s house, old bags, wire, and discarded flowers sourced from a florist. The group have thoughtfully transformed these ordinary everyday items into a beautiful and unique dress.

The team of designers say that the inspiration for this design comes from the paintings of the great impressionist Claude Monet. The three designs to qualify from St Anne’s Secondary School in Tipperary are ‘Before the pond runs dry’, ‘Created not generated’ and ‘zip it’.

‘Before The Pond Runs Dry’ is a dress made from old oil tablecloths and an old duvet. It was designed, created, quilted and modelled by Isabel Slattery.

‘Created not Generated’ is a dress made from computer components such as keyboard keys, wires and circuit boards as well as cans. It was designed and created by Eva Madsen, Holly Egan and Ella Riordan, with Ella being the model.

The design ‘Zip it’ is made from plastic zip folders. It was designed, created and modelled by Aoife Butler.

As they prepare to take to the stage at The Helix, all three Tipperary schools carry with them not only striking designs but powerful messages about sustainability, resilience and respect for the environment.