Elizabeth O'Donnell dresses 'trashed' at film premiere
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Recycled material dresses by Elisabeth O'Donnell on the red carpet in London. IAN GAVAN/GETTY
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By Linda McGrory
Wednesday Nov 30 2011
A YOUNG Co Donegal entrepreneur 'rubbished' the red carpet at the London premiere of Martin Scorsese's new film 'Hugo'.
Elizabeth O'Donnell (25) was invited to showcase recycled dresses created by Irish students in a competition run through her new venture, Junk Kouture.
Elizabeth, whose company is sponsored by the European Recycling Platform (ERP), brought aspiring models, Ellen Connolly from Dundalk, Co Louth, and Jenny Boyd from Maynooth, Co Kildare, to wear the waste creations at the Odeon cinema, Leicester Square, on Monday.
They rubbed shoulders with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, as well as stars Carol Vorderman, 'X Factor' hopefuls, Little Mix and the cast of 'Hugo'.
Elizabeth said the positive publicity she got following her first two Junk Kouture schools' competitions led to her "out of the blue" invitation to the premiere. She said her mission was to encourage young people to recycle more.
"Ellen's dress was designed by students from Carndonagh Community School, Aisling McCallion, Stephen McLaughlin and Niamh McDonald and is made from paper, CDs and magazines," she said.
"Jenny's dress is her own creation and is made from newspapers and magazines. Both dresses were finalists in the 2011 competition."
The young entrepreneur from Buncrana, Co Donegal, added: "It was a magical night. The girls got a huge reaction on the red carpet."
The young businesswoman is now busy preparing for her ERP Junk Kouture Competition 2012.
- Linda McGrory
Irish Independent
