Junk Kouture believes that youth activism and education are both essential elements of the global response to climate change and when hand-in-hand, can result in profound and lasting impact.
By celebrating creativity, the programme gives young people a worldwide platform to showcase their creative solutions to real-world problems and equips them with the knowledge and skills required to affect positive change. Our aim is to empower the next generation of creatives to generate a lasting positive impact through sustainability and fashion. The programme is built on four key pillars: Sustainability; Creativity; Education; and Community.
Harnessing the power of youth activism and education, Junk Kouture is a year-round programme for secondary schools, that challenges students aged 13-18 to create couture fashion from 100% recycled materials, before ultimately showcasing their creations to a global audience.
Founded in 2010, Ireland, Junk Kouture has grown from humble beginnings of 200 entries to sell-out arena shows and global expansion plans, with its recycled fashion competition kicking off in New York, Milan, Paris, London and Abu Dhabi in September 2021.
With inclusivity and diversity at the core of everything we do - and having different cultures and design techniques coming to the fore - Junk Kouture will showcase designs in each city by way of a National Final. Set to be held in summer 2022, the chosen creatives from each city will compete at the Junk Kouture World Final.
As Sustainable Living program partner of Climate Week NYC, Junk Kouture will aim to enrich and empower the lives of young people throughout the world in a sustainable, creative way. The growth of Junk Kouture community and outreach has led to the creation of the ‘Circular Engineers’ of tomorrow - young people who are confident, big-thinkers and who hold sustainability at the core of their outlook on the world. Working both individually and collectively, these change-makers are forming the most dynamic part of climate action. By challenging these young people to look at things differently, to be brave and to think how they can make a positive impact, Junk Kouture aims to make a lasting social impact.
Junk Kouture will empower this generation through its programme, not by driving, but by leading.
“If we can influence their thinking through creativity, we can pull our planet back from the biggest crisis it has ever faced. No one ever changed the world by being the same as anyone else” – Troy Armour, CEO - Junk Kouture