Junk Kouture national final returns to 3Arena in May

Billed “world’s largest sustainable fashion competition for young people”, the Irish final will see 80 design teams, from post-primary schools across the country, battle it out for one of 10 spots to represent Ireland at the next Junk Kouture world final.

The winning designs, selected by a panel of Junk Kouture judges, will compete against 50 other teams from Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, Milan and New York to become the second ever ‘World Designer of the Year’.

The Junk Kouture Dublin city final will be filmed for TV and broadcast on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player later in the year. The competition has also teamed up with EUROSPAR to share the “important message of living sustainably, while also showcasing the educators, creators and ambassadors that are at the forefront of this pioneering cultural movement”.

Tickets prices start at €30 plus booking fee and go on sale tomorrow morning – Thursday, March 30 – from 10am on Ticketmaster.ie.

Doors open at 5.30pm with the show kicking off at 7.30pm, while the event’s producers said there will also be an “exclusive live music performance” on the night.

CEO of Junk Kouture, Troy Amour, said there is “no atmosphere” on the Junk Kouture calendar like a Dublin city final.

“I have seen the power of transformation in the students this night has as they take to the stage and are cheered on by 5,000 of their peers. It’s a night at the opera for the 21st Century celebrating the creativity, culture, innovation and sustainability of our youth! Our goal at Junk Kouture is to enrich and empower the lives of young people, and events like this are a crucial part of making that happen. This year I am delighted to welcome EUROSPAR and DHL to our Junk Kouture family, both companies are committed to creating a more sustainable future and helping us create more opportunities for young people on a global stage,” he said.

Meanwhile, Group Head of Children’s and Young People’s Programming, RTÉ Suzanne Kelly, said she is “amazed” at what students from all over the country continue to produce as they “embrace the principle of sustainable living and unleash their inner creative genius to produce incredible fashion designs”.

“This wonderful celebration of immense creativity brings such colour and joy to our channels and platforms and makes this event such a pleasure to work on and broadcast on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Importantly, it also allows RTÉ to play its part in keeping the issues of sustainability and climate consciousness front-of-mind for all audiences,” she added.