Having had the pleasure of checking out some of the past finalists designs on the West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK catwalk I now look forward to the competition every year to see what ingenious designs their entrants come up with!

The deadline for this year's Bank Of Ireland's "Junk Kouture" entrants is looming with the competition putting out it's final call out for applicants and setting the deadline for 2015 entries as Friday 7th February!

In a bid to 'spur on' the entrants from the Northern region; model, blogger and former Miss Northern Ireland Tiffany Brien teamed up with popular designer Julia Sokele to jointly design their own Junk Kouture dress entitled Achromatic! The modern, all-white design piece, which is made of recycled plastic spoons as well as damaged paper plates, was inspired by 3D shapes and contemporary art, will appear at the northern final on 9th March in the Millennium Forum in Derry.
The Bank of Ireland 'Junk Kouture' competition in association with Repak is open to all schools from across the island of Ireland and offers thousands of pounds in prize money as well as iPads and trips to red carpet events in London for the winners.

So why not get those creative juices flowing and see what you can come up with! Junk Kouture is an amazing competition that actively encourages it's entrants to think outside the box so why not give it a go? I for one cannot wait to see what this year's entrants come up with!! Check out www.junkkouture.com for more info!


Massive thanks to Lucy McIlwaine at CMPR for the press release and all relevant imagery!

I've feally enjoyed following this year's Junk Kouture competition, as not only does the competition really help to both encourage and channel the creative talents of our young people, but I'm always blown away at the originality and immense talent of the entrants!!

Last season at the Autumn Winter'13 show at Belfast FASHIONWEEK we were treated to a fabulous catwalk show featuring the wonderful creative talents of the 2013 Junk Kouture finalists!

Junk Kouture's four expert judges will be responsible for finding and crowning the winner of Junk Kouture Recycled Fashion Competition 2014 which is proudly supported by Bank of Ireland and European Recycling Platform (ERP), the only pan-European compliance scheme for electronic waste and battery recycling.

Friday 24th January marked the opening of online registration for the talented students across the North and South of Ireland, who are hoping to be a part of Junk Kouture 2014.

Elizabeth Curran, co-founder of Junk Kouture said, 'We're thrilled to finally announce this year's judging panel. Each of our judges will bring unrivalled knowledge of their diverse backgrounds to the competition, which we feel guarantees an admirable judging panel for teenagers entering the competition this year.'

The judges also gave us a sneak peek into what exactly they will be looking for from this year's entrants. Rosanna Davison who has spent years in the fashion industry, fronting high-end designer campaigns, both as a model and brand ambassador, will be looking out for creations that truly belong on the catwalk or on the front cover of a glossy magazine. ITV This Morning's style presenter, Darren Kennedy, is widely regarded as one of Ireland's top style influencers and will be bringing his sharp fashion sense and keen eye to the judging panel. Tracy Fahey from the Limerick School of Art and Design is Head of the Department of Art and Design will separate the junk from the Junk Kouture and will be looking for something 'different'. Last but by no means least, Yvonne Holmes who is Head of Corporate Communications for ERP, will be watching out for the outfits that best promote sustainability, incorporate used materials effectively and of course the clever usage of WEEE waste in the Junk Kouture submissions.

The Junk Kouture competition was created in 2010 by entrepreneurs Elizabeth Curran and Troy Armour, who also attended the film premiere. The one-of-a-kind contest, which is proudly supported by European Recycling Platform (ERP) and Bank of Ireland, is a leading fashion and art competition for secondary school students across the island of Ireland, continuously encouraging the importance of sustainability through fashion and creativity.

Founder of Junk Kouture, Elizabeth Curran said: "It was so exciting to be back in London, and on the red carpet for another movie premiere with Junk Kouture. The girls really worked the red carpet and I think they enjoyed the flashbulbs of the hundreds of photographers as well as the cheers from the fans. It's such a shame we can only bring two students over because the talent and creativity throughout the competition means that some of our dresses really could compete with international designers for that special red carpet wow factor! The 2014 deadline in January is just around the corner so I really can't wait to see what our 'trashionista' students have come up with for the 2014 competition, it's amazing to think that someone sitting at home right now could be joining the celebrities next December for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - and all because of their creativity."

Junk Kouture Recycled Fashion Competition 2014 is proudly supported by ERP and Bank of Ireland and is open to all second level students in both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland. The deadline for submission of entries for the 2014 competition is 31 January 2014. For further information, please log on to junkkouture.com or visit the Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/junkkouture

Massive thanks to Lucy McIlwaine at CMPR for the press release and all relevant imagery.