IT will be lights, camera, action for students from Rice College in Ennis this week as they battle it out to be crowned winner of the re-scheduled 2020 Junk Kouture Grand Final when it is televised this Thursday, February 4.
A fashion design created by Ennis students Carla Griffin, Eunice Boateng and Caitlin Mc Allister will be part of the show, which will be shown on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, having been chosen as a finalist in the prestigious competition.
Their teacher Lorraine Hogan tells us, “There is great excitement with the girls, I’m very proud of their achievement to get to the final, the whole school community are behind them wishing them the best of luck on Thursday night.”
Junk Kouture sees students from across the country design and create outfits made from 100% recycled materials. The Rice College design, titled ‘Do Your Own Sting’ was inspired by bees and their habitats. The students wanted to raise awareness about the rapid decline in the population of bees not only in Ireland but in the world.
Ms Hogan explains, “They used a variety of recycled materials to make it, the skirt is inspired by a beehive and hundreds of cardboard hexagon shapes. Plastic cups were used to construct it. The bodice is woven using the core of toilet rolls and beautiful handmade flowers were fashioned from food wrapping. Real beeswax was used in the beautiful headpiece.”
Like most live events last year, Covid-19 led to the postponement of the 10th  annual Junk Kouture final in 3Arena Dublin in April 2020. Now for the first time ever, the grand final supported by the Creative Ireland Programme will be televised, beaming the designs of students into the homes of the nation and showcasing these talented young people who have waited so patiently throughout the pandemic for their moment to shine.
The final, which will be televised at 7pm on Thursday on RTÉ2, has been adapted for the times we live in, with the students filmed in venues across Ireland. The Rice College students entry was filmed at the Kennedy Rooms in Bruff County Limerick  along with the other Southern Regional finalists. This gave them an opportunity to model their creations in a safe way but to also gain the experience of being one of the stars of a television production.
Thursday’s show is hosted by 2FM presenters Laura Fox and Emma Power with judges including X-Factor judge Louis Walsh and Michelle Visage of RuPaul’s Drag Race. There will also be a special musical performance from pop princess and 2FM rising artist Aimée who will perform her new single Bulletproof.
The winner of Junk Kouture 2020 will walk away with €1,000 with a further €2,000 for the winning school. There will be many other awards up for grabs on the night too at the Winners’ Party, broadcast on junkkouture.com straight after the main show, including the bright Enterprise Award and the Waste2Wear Creative for a Cause Award.
The RTÉ Audience Choice Award will allow the audience at home to have their say by voting for their favourite design on app.junkkouture.com. The winning design will receive an RTÉ Audience Choice Award trophy and the experience of starring in their very own bespoke social media campaign on RTÉ’s social channels for their design. Voting closes 6pm on Friday, February 5.