Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Junk Kouture, the world’s largest sustainable fashion programme for youth, has officially debuted in the UAE. Bringing a unique concept unlike anything the region has ever seen before, the Junk Kouture World Tour is providing vital education about climate change and sustainability. Through challenging students to make fashion out of recyclable materials and items that are often labelled as ‘junk’, tapping into the rich cultural heritage of the UAE, the programme promotes creative expression amongst young people, whilst also generating lasting positive change to help tackle environmental issues.
Free to enter for students aged 13 to 18 in secondary school education, participants will be asked to design, create and model their wearable couture in a bid to secure a place in the Junk Kouture World Final scheduled for September 2022, where they will compete against teams from other countries. The winner will be judged by a high-profile panel of celebrity judges, with the high-profile UAE line-up to be confirmed soon. Despite only just arriving in the UAE, students from a number of schools, including GEMS First Point, SAFA Community School and GEMS Wellington Academy in Dubai, plus Aspen Heights British School, BSAK and the American Community School of Abu Dhabi have already signed up to take part. In total, it is anticipated that over 100 schools across the UAE will sign up for this competition cycle.
Emma Shanahan, Principal of Aspen Heights British School, said: “Aspen Heights is delighted to be involved with the launch of this exciting project. Environmental themes are tightly interwoven into our curriculum, both explicitly and implicitly, and so the recycling, creative aspect is perfectly aligned with our core values. We’re dedicated to providing relevant, engaging, memorable and fun education – and this is certainly delivered with Junk Kouture. All our parents have ambitious plans for their children and this project will give them so many amazing experiences, and an exclusive glimpse into the exciting and creative world of sustainable fashion.”
Meanwhile, Mathew Tompkins, Principal of GEMS First Point said: “We are so excited to be involved in this year’s Junk Kouture competition. The ethos of Junk Kouture chimes so closely with our own. They strongly believe that there’s a genius hidden inside every child, and they’re passionate about promoting a more sustainable approach to living. Having spent time with the Junk Kouture team during their visit to the UAE, I’m so impressed by their energy and enthusiasm. Junk Kouture has the power to educate the youth of today and positively shift the mindset of our future leaders.”
Founded in Ireland in 2010, Junk Kouture has so-far engaged with over 100,000 participants, produced 15,000 distinctive designs and amazed packed crowds at 60 sold-out arena shows. Now, after 11 incredible years in operation, Junk Kouture has gone global.
The Junk Kouture World Tour is launching in five of the world’s most dynamic cities: New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Milan and Paris. It has also revealed a goal of reaching 13 cities by the end of 2023, and a 10-year goal of impacting the lives of 1billion young people across the globe by 2032. With over 800 schools actively participating in the programme across the UK and Ireland, the message of Junk Kouture is already spreading rapidly and the World Tour will allow it to expand even further, giving more young people the chance to express their creativity and impact climate change, no matter where they live or where they come from.
Indeed, the UAE was chosen to be part of this awe-inspiring movement as it is a world leader in tackling climate change and inspiring youth. With various community and business sustainability initiatives running throughout the year, Junk Kouture is proud to be featuring as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week’s web discussion ‘For the Love of Conscious Fashion’, taking place on September 28th. Joining Kharunisa Suhail, Head of Design at Dubai-based activewear company The Giving Movement, the Junk Kouture team will explore what brands are doing about sustainability, and how the fashion industry can exist in harmony with the environment.
As well as its educational element, Junk Kouture celebrates empowerment and the beauty of each individual involved, with an emphasis on encouraging young people to be true to who they are. The creative students involved are provided with the chance to develop team-building skills, gain in self-confidence, and find an authentic sense of belonging within a community of like-minded individuals. Most tellingly, Maxim O’Sullivan, Overall Winner 2019 and Junk Kouture Alumni ambassador says: “The greatest thing I got out of Junk Kouture was my personality.”
Now, young people in the UAE can experience this fantastic visionary journey for themselves. Educational tools, masterclasses and mentor schemes are provided to schools and students as part of the experience, helping them to develop their skills and excel in their designs. Offering the chance to have their work showcased on a global platform, previous winners have also gone on to travel the world, demonstrating their designs with Junk Kouture to international audiences.
Troy Armour, CEO of Junk Kouture, said: “I am so delighted to bring Junk Kouture to the young people of the UAE and explore how they think we should be promoting sustainable practices. The UAE is a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage so I’m confident that they will be full of imaginative and amazing ideas to showcase to the world.
“I firmly believe that, in order to make an impact on our planet, we must realise that not all trash is waste. In fact, we should view it as ‘raw material’ that has the potential to create something new and wonderful. By embarking on our World Tour, and with the help of all our participating students, we hope to create the circular engineers of tomorrow and spread this message further, and more powerfully, than ever before.”
Furthermore, Katie Brill, former Junk Kouture contestant and VP of PR and Communications for the project, said: “When I took part in Junk Kouture in 2012 it totally changed my life. I felt like I had found my purpose and calling, and I was so delighted when my ‘ReJuicing is Appealing’ creation, made out of orange peel, went on to win. Not only did it improve my confidence and problem-solving skills, but it also helped me define what I wanted to do with my career and how I could make a difference.
“Now, I want to inspire and empower as many young people across the world as I can and help them experience the same enlightening journey that I was lucky enough to enjoy. As well as making new friends and gaining skills, participants will also be able to earn scholarships, bursaries, and priceless travel experiences. Troy has created something absolutely sensational, and I can’t wait to introduce it to the young people of the UAE.”
Finally, Jane Smith, Chief Content Officer at Junk Kouture, said: “Having been fortunate enough to live and work in the UAE at twofour54, I know first-hand how many wonderful collaborations await us in Abu Dhabi. I’m confident we will form numerous enriching partnerships that will help us reach as many local schools as possible. We have exciting plans for our upcoming events, outreach and content production, and we’re looking forward to engaging with young people and educators throughout the UAE.”
Junk Kouture is a creative youth challenge that promotes the importance of sustainability and educates about the issues surrounding climate change. Highlighting the fact that what we view as ‘junk’ can be recycled in useful and impactful ways, it challenges young people to create beautiful and interesting fashion outfits out of materials that are normally thrown away.
Founded in Ireland in 2010 by tech entrepreneur, and CEO of Junk Kouture, Troy Armour, the competition has recruited 100,000 participants to date. Now, in 2021, Junk Kouture is expanding and going global with a 10-year ambition to enrich the lives of a billion young people through creativity and sustainability. The Junk Kouture World Tour will take in 13 major cities, including Abu Dhabi, New York City, London, Paris, Milan and Dublin, before the Grand Final, overseen by a panel of celebrity judges, takes place in 2022.
The progressive competition is free to enter and open to all students between the ages of 13 and 18. Participants may join as individuals or in groups of up to three. Designed to create an inclusive community, educate people about the importance of protecting our planet and promote creativity, students of all backgrounds and levels of experience are welcome to join.
