Chalk Talk: Meath schools secure places in Junk Kouture regional finals
Students from several Meath schools have secured places in the Junk Kouture regional finals, which will take place at The Helix in March.
At Loreto Secondary School, Transition Year students Eshal Asghar and Ellen Richards have been selected for their design, titled Imperfect to I’m Perfect.
Modelled by Ellen, the outfit was inspired by the idea of trying to eliminate inequalities.
The dress shows how it's easy to lose yourself in the imperfections and trying to become perfect.
The warped plastic is used to show the imperfections people see In themselves and is used to tell people to embrace them.
The dress has a continuous water look to it, this is to show the forever changing waters of the oceans and rivers and how no drop of water is the same.
Materials used: Plastic bottles, shoe lace, art folders, thrifted fabric, straws.
Dunshaughlin Community College students Gabriela Giron Falcone and Jack Fox - Let them eat Blood" is a Junk Kouture project inspired by the greed and corruption of rich people and large corporations.
Jack and Gabriela aimed to highlight the inequality between rich and poor, how out of touch the upper classes are from the rest of the world. This inspired the name and style of the dress, as they felt referencing Marie Antoinette would help express the intended message.
They also wanted to speak up against the exploitation of people and children by corporations and individuals who want nothing more than to further their gain with no regard for the pain they cause to people and the environment. This is represented by the bloody handprints on the skirt.
Gabriela and Jack also wanted to emphasise the lower thresholds for quality, an issue that has appeared ever since money became the main concern. This can be seen in the increasingly sensationalist and controversial headlines in newspaper despite little fact-checking and verification, hence the corset made of newspaper.
Finally, to demonstrate how money controls everything, they made a hand to put atop the head, controlling the model like a puppet. As a finishing touch they included pig imagery as a symbol of corruption.
Athboy Community School will also be represented at the regional finals by students Savanagh Reilly, Isobel Canty and Erin Melligan.
Their design, ReBloom, is centred on the theme of plastic in nature and symbolises giving plastic a second chance. The students aimed to portray what the natural world could look like if plastic pollution continues at its current pace.
Materials used in the construction include Junior Certificate Art examination bags, plastic Shein bags and plastic bottles.
St Ciaran’s Community School, Kells, is celebrating the success of students Elenor Fiedler and Simon Seimer, whose design has also progressed to the regional stage.
The duo’s creation earned praise within the school, with acknowledgement given to their teacher, Ms Emma Byrne, for fostering creativity and supporting the project.
Their design resembles the colours of the gender-fluid Pride flag - white, pink, magenta, grey and blue - and combines clothing elements both associated with male and female clothes. It is divided into two halves; the left side is a white and pink dress made from plastic bags with a striped fabric sleeve.
The other side consists of a needle felted blue wool jacket and dark fabric trousers. The two sides stand in stark contrast with each other, one is dark, coloured only in blue and grey, made with rough materials like thick wool, looking very bulky, heavy and unrefined.
Junk Kouture challenges second-level students to create high-fashion outfits from recycled and everyday waste materials.
The regional finals bring together schools from across the country, with finalists showcasing their designs on the runway before a panel of judges and a live audience at The Helix in March.