Ten Irish teams made their way to the Helix in Dublin last night to compete in the Junk Kouture World Final last night, but it was a Limerick team that made headlines.
Lauren O'Neill modelled a dizzying creation called Carousel Couture, an impressive design made by Lauren O'Neill, Alexandra Giltenane and Sarah Kinnane from Salesian Secondary College, Co Limerick.
Made from hi-vis vests, binbags, pipes, cardboard and even old toy animals, the merry-go-round shape represented circularity in fashion, and took him the prize of 'World Designer of the Year'.
The sustainable fashion design competition celebrated eco-minded and creative talent of 12-19-year-olds, with this year's final bringing 60 design teams from around the globe to Dublin.
The teams from Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, the USA and the UAE presented breathtaking couture designs made entirely from recycled materials, from coffee pods to bike chains and even the tarpaulin off the back of a lorry!
Selected from the 2024 - 2025 cycle of Junk Kouture, the designs were evaluated by a prestigious judging panel of experts in sustainability, fashion, education, and entertainment: Cory Infinite, a creative director and multidisciplinary artist; Claire Garvey, a leading Irish designer; and Zeda, a Dublin-based visual artist, stylist and creative director.
Full list of award winners:
World Designer of the Year: Carousel Couture
Carousel Couture by Lauren O'Neill, Alexandra Giltenane and Sarah Kinnane from Salesian Secondary College, Co Limerick. Made from hi-vis vests, binbags, pipes, cardboard and even old toy animals, with the merry-go-round shape representing circularity in fashion. This design was also crowned Dublin Designer of the Year.
Innovation Award Powered by EUROSPAR: Golden Globe
Golden Globe by Beth Brady from St Joseph's Secondary School, Navan. Inspired by Ryan McNaught’s Bricktionary exhibition and Philip Treacy’s iconic headwear, Golden Globe is a striking two-piece design created using over 1,000 discarded plastic surgical forceps and clinic waste. The piece reimagines medical materials through fashion, highlighting reuse, innovation, and responsible production.
Glamour Award Powered by Transport for Ireland: Golden Woman
Golden Woman by Ilenia Marinucci, Rosa Della Marca, Sara Ubaldo of IIS Alessandro Lombardi, Italy. Created from discarded plastics, plexiglass panels, paper, twine, and ribbons, the design symbolises transformation, awareness and conscious production.
Paris Designer of the Year: Marie-Antoinette À La Rose
Marie-Antoinette À La Rose by Laura Peterfalvi, Vaudru Dit Besnard from Lycée Professionnel Ferdinand Buisson, France, made from newspapers, transport tickets and magazines.
London Designer of the Year: Carbon Footprints
Carbon Footprints by Jessica Murphy, Daisy Greenwood, Scarlett Barritt-Wilding of Beaulieu Convent School, UK. Created from deconstructed trainers, football boots, laces, and rope, the design challenges responsible consumption by exposing the long-lasting environmental impact of mass-produced shoes.
Milan Designer of the Year: Vanitas
Vanitas by Maddalena Zambelli, Chiara Leonardi and Nathalie Colcol from Liceo Artistico Andrea Fantoni, Italy. Retrieved from cemetery bins and donated by florists, the flowers in this design were preserved with reclaimed wax and sewn onto a handcrafted corset and skirt made from floral wrapping sheets, giving fragile materials a second life through sustainable fashion.
New York Designer of the Year: Mirrorball
Mirrorball by Leonardo Iglesias and Sophie Lorenzo-Luace (model) of TERRA Environmental Research Institute, USA, made from over 30,000 recycled can tabs. The design symbolises the Earth’s resilience and shows how small actions, when brought together, can create powerful change through responsible consumption.
Dubai Designer of the Year: Stitches of Our Past
Stitches of Our Past by Noura Alshamsi and Emna El Mekki of Emirates National School, UAE. A fully crocheted gown made from yarn created by cutting and weaving recycled plastic bags.
Junior Designer of the Year Powered by DHL: Soaring Eagles
Soaring Eagles by Grace Manadan, Aadya Boddanapalli and Khushi Jani of JSS Private School, UAE. Crafted from coconut husk and repurposed materials, the sculpture highlights the resilience of women from India, the Philippines, and Indonesia who face inequality, low wages and limited opportunity.
Purposeful Plastic Award Powered by StayCity: La La Lu Veil
La La Lu Veil by Emilija Milasiute of St Joseph’s Secondary School, Westmeath, Ireland, made from plastic milk bottles, plastic packaging straps, pearl beads a sculptural wide-brimmed hat, creates a luminous design that symbolises resilience, unity, and the potential of sustainable fashion.
Wearable Art Award Powered by Vision Ireland: Miss Marionette
Miss Marionette by Madlene Hanna, Nadzhira Irdianti and Robert Delos Reyes by Summit International School, UAE. Created from plastic loofahs, toys, coffee pods, curtains, and chains, the design symbolises how unseen systems pull the strings of childhood inequality.
STEAM Award by Powered by Trojan Technologies: Glowing, Glowing Gone
Glowing, Glowing Gone by Clementine Dawson from Dulwich School Cranbrook, UK. Made from egg cartons, plastic foam and wool, this design highlights the impact of rising ocean temperatures and coral bleaching.
Cultural Couture Award Powered by Dublin City Council: Miss Mares
Miss Mares by Lucia Revuelta of Elphin Community College, Roscommon, Ireland, is a fusion of Basque and Irish maritime culture, crafted from recycled sardine tins, aluminium trays, rope, netting, shells, and donated materials. Inspired by Paco Rabanne’s metalwork, the structured corset and flowing ocean silhouette highlight the devastating impact of overfishing and ocean pollution, and the urgent need for marine conservation.
SDG Award: Verdant Vanguard
Verdant Vanguard by Alphons Jomy, Akash Sudhan and Jerald Saravanan Kannan from Abu Dhabi Indian School, UAE. Made from discarded plastics, shells, seeds, and wires and transformed into a guardian of land and sea.
Performance Award: Golden Phoenix Fortune
Golden Phoenix Fortune by Hanyun Xu (model), Asia Rubini, Viviana Furgiuele from Liceo Artistico Enzo Rossi in Italy, made from fortune cookie wrappers, old tablecloths and packaging.
Ready-to-Wear Award: Reborn
Reborn by Sara Frau, Alexander Argiolas, Edoardo Mameli from Istituto Comprensivo Monserrato 1-2 A. La Marmora. Cardboard, paper flakes, ash, and discarded shoes form a distressed silhouette, while a cloud-like hat and smog-inspired makeup symbolise the air pollution we breathe.
