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JUNK KOUTURE GRAND FINAL 2021

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Turning Junk into Kouture!

Students battle it out for the Junk Kouture crown as final is broadcast by RTÉ

Tune into the Grand Final on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Thursday 9th December at 7pm

Prepare to be amazed as 40 teams of post-primary students take everyday junk to new heights in the Junk Kouture Grand Final Powered by RTÉ airing on 9th December at 7pm on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. Whether it’s a headpiece made from a lampshade, a dress made from chestnuts, or even a design made from pea shells, there is no shortage of originality as the recycled fashion contest Junk Kouture Powered by RTÉ makes its return to TV screens for a second year running, in a re-designed format due to Covid-19.

While it has been a challenging year for everyone, finalists didn’t let anything derail their bid for Junk Kouture glory and the incredible attention to detail, inspiring backstories, and innovative use of what anyone else might consider old rubbish means viewers at home will be in for a truly spectacular show. The broadcast of the Junk Kouture final by RTÉ also enables these talented young people to express themselves to a wider audience while embracing sustainable habits and becoming the future changemakers of our world.

In true Junk Kouture style, the 2021 finalists will have to impress a star-studded panel of judges who know a little bit about thinking outside the box when it comes to creativity, design and performance. New judge, best-selling cookbook author, entrepreneur and fashion-upcycling enthusiast Roz Purcell, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Michelle Visage, TV personality and music manager Louis Walsh and former winner and fashion designer Stephen McLaughlin will all lend their expertise in the search for the next winner of Junk Kouture, alongside technical judges Dr Tracy Fahey and Jane Leavy.

Back for another year of presenting duties are RTÉ 2FM hosts Laura Fox and Emma Power, while all the behind-the-scenes action will be brought to viewers by new presenting team, RTÉ Kids presenters Órla Morris Toolen and Seán Treacy. There’ll also be musical entertainment provided by the dynamic Dublin-based rapper JYellowL performing his hit single ‘Oh Lawd’ as well as plenty of feedback on designs from the eagle-eyed judging panel.

On the night, the overall winner of Junk Kouture 2021 will be announced live on television as well as the five regional winners. Then it will be over to the Junk Kouture After Party on the Junk Kouture YouTube channel at 8pm, also presented by RTÉ 2FM’s Laura Fox and Emma Power alongside Órla and Sean, as they catch up with the judges and winning students and the remainder of the awards are presented including two Glamour awards, Creative for a Cause award, Finishing Touches award, Best Performance award, plus the Most Unusual Material award.

Viewers at home will also have the chance to have their say and vote for their favourites with the RTÉ 2FM Audience Award. They can vote online on RTÉ.ie from 9th – 19th December with the winner announced on RTÉ 2FM on Monday 20th December. Meanwhile, students also have until Friday 26th November to enter for the Junk Kouture Enterprise award and until Tuesday 30th November to be considered for the Limerick School of Art and Design Bursary and for the Griffith College BA Hons in Fashion Design Scholarship.

CEO of Junk Kouture Troy Armour said: “Televising the Junk Kouture Grand Final opens the world’s largest platform for youth expression, creativity and sustainability to new viewers, beaming the creative talents and innovation of Ireland’s young people into the sitting rooms of Ireland and around the globe to our new territories with the RTÉ Player. We have kept our commitment to young creatives and teachers to carry out a grand final despite the absence of live events this year. Best of luck to everyone taking part and to our judges Louis, Michelle, Roz and Stephen who have the difficult task of choosing the 11th annual winner of Junk Kouture!”

Group Head of Children’s and Young People’s Programming at RTÉ Suzanne Kelly said: “We are delighted to support Junk Kouture and enable students all over the country to embrace the principle of sustainable living whilst unleashing their inner creative genius. With no live event this year, it is even more important for RTÉ, as the National Broadcaster, to play its part in connecting participants with a wider audience through RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player and keep the important issues of sustainability and climate consciousness front-of-mind with younger audiences.”

New judge Roz Purcell said: “I am thrilled to be a judge for Junk Kouture for the first time this year as I have been such a huge fan of Junk Kouture over the years – I am now wishing more than ever that I had been able to take part when I was in school! The talent has been outrageous this year and excelled all my expectations. These young designers have really shown us all just how important establishing more sustainable habits is when it comes to our fashion choices and way of life. To be honest, it is very much the students showing us the way forward when it comes to protecting the environment and the world we live in – I certainly learned a lot from them! This has been such an inspiring experience and I hope everyone at home enjoys the show!”

So don’t miss out on the fun! Tune in to the Junk Kouture Grand Final 2021 on Thursday 9th December at 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. In the meantime, stay up to speed with all things Junk Kouture and the Grand Final Powered by RTÉ over on their Instagram account @junkkouture and TikTok @junkkouture, check out the Junk Kouture website junkkouture.com and YouTube channel junkkouture, or download the Junk Kouture app, available for both Android and iOS.

The Junk Kouture final is Powered by RTÉ. The Creative Ireland Programme continues to support Junk Kouture across several areas developing its online education resources to ensure that students and educators alike can avail of educational material around Junk Kouture’s three areas of focus – creativity, sustainability and entrepreneurship. Programmes driven by the support of Creative Ireland will help educators encourage young people to become micro-influencers for change through creativity and circularity.

Notes to Editors:

More about Junk Kouture – Junk Kouture has been challenging post-primary school students across the island of Ireland to create high-end designs from junk for 11 years. Incorporating elements of environmental sustainability, fashion, art, design, and engineering, Junk Kouture annually showcases aspiring designers aged 13 – 18-years from across Ireland as they rise to the challenge to create wearable fashion – the golden rule being that everything used must be 100% recycled. Junk Kouture is now accessible to over one million school children in six countries, recently launching in five new locations around the world: London, New York, Paris, Milan and Abu Dhabi. Junk Kouture will roll out in these territories ahead of the first ever World Final in September 2022. In Ireland, Junk Kouture is powered by RTÉ and supported by the Creative Ireland Programme.

For media inquiries, contact: Lindsey – lindsey@hpublicity.ie Sorcha – sorcha@lhpublicity.ie