The Athlone woman bringing Junk Kouture to Abu Dhabi

An Athlone woman has spoken of the life changing experience of helping to promote the Junk Kouture programme in Abu Dhabi.

Katie Brill from Coosan currently works as the Senior Vice President of PR and Communications for Junk Kouture and was responsible for launching the successful programme in Abu Dhabi.

Katie (26) manages PR agencies across the six Junk Kouture markets in Ireland, the UK, the US, Italy, France and the UAE.

Junk Kouture is open to 13-18-year-olds and challenges young people to design, upcycle and create high end kouture from recycled Junk, before showcasing their designs on stage.

Katie moved to the Middle East in September 2021 to help launch the programme there and to integrate Junk Kouture into the school curriculum.

Her role there also involves relationship management and event planning.

Katie was responsible for developing the new partnership with the UAE and for getting the news out to the public and media about Junk Kouture's expansion to the Middle East.

“It can be quite hectic but I love the professional experience I've gained,” she told the Westmeath Independent.

“It was a life-changing experience moving to the UAE to launch the Junk Kouture programme.

As the public in Abu Dhabi were completely unfamiliar with the Junk Kouture offering to schools and young people, “we really had to begin from the ground up to get the word out to schools, gain their trust and garner support from entities across the market”.

“I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I was excited about the challenge and adventure away from home.”

Katie continued: “I was lucky that my boss, Jane Smith had lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for many years, so she was able to make the right introductions that opened the doors for discussions with ministries and partners.”

She said the reaction to the programme in Abu Dhabi has been “surreal” and revealed that she became emotional on the day before the Junk Kouture grand final there.

“It just reminded me of why I took part (in Junk Kouture) and what it does for the youth.”

Katie, herself, is a former overall winner of Junk Kouture in 2012 Re'Juicing is Ap'Peeling', a design made from orange peel. She found the experience helped build her confidence and passion for environmental sustainability.

“I took part and had the most incredible experience. I was very much a creative person growing up.”

Katie took part in the programme when she was in Transition Year at Our Lady's Bower and said that her teacher Oonagh Kelly really nurtured her creative flair and Junk Kouture took that to another level. She is now committed to expand the mission of the sustainable fashion competition and to inspire more young creatives.

Katie has had many highlights working with the organisation including when she appeared on Fox 10 local news in Arizona, USA last year. Junk Kouture attended the Footprint Sustainability Summit in Phoenix, Arizona as the organisation was awarded the Ocean Hero Award which recognises innovators who are creating a healthier planet and positively affecting the environment on a global scale.

Katie said: “We travelled to the US with twelve Irish designs from our community of alumni and hosted a fashion show at the awards ceremony and featured at an NBA halftime show. Following these events, FOX10 News reached out for an interview, a surreal moment for us as we expand our presence across schools in the United States. It was so exciting to bring Irish designs over to America to showcase the great talent involved in Junk Kouture which were then seen by Fox 10 viewers in Phoenix and everyone in attendance at the summit too.”

The Athlone native first started working with Junk Kouture in October 2019 and said that she never would have gone into the world of PR without Junk Kouture. Interestingly, Katie transitioned from a background in Dietetics to pursue a career in PR. “I took a year out (post Leaving Certificate) and did a Plc in Dietetics in Whitehall (College of Further Education.)”

Katie always remained in contact with CEO Troy Armour and the Junk Kouture community by remaining involved with the organisation. She regularly wore her Junk Kouture design to events and became a judge for the competition in Scotland when she completed her undergraduate degree in Dietetics at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.

Katie was asked to join Junk Kouture in a PR role by the CEO and said she had no clue what PR was and that her first reaction was to google it. “I had a conversation with the company as to how I was going to learn and I learned in the job and it was a great way to learn.

“I was thrown in at the deep end but I've been able to develop my own relationships.” Katie also has a Diploma in PR and Marketing Communications from UCD which she said gave her the confidence to learn along the way.

“For me, I've had so many amazing experiences working with Junk Kouture.”

She believes Junk Kouture helps to empower young people and gives them a stage to showcase their design and express themselves creatively. “It's a fantastic way of getting into a creative space after the Leaving Cert.”

The former Our Lady's Bower student also acts as a spokesperson for Junk Kouture along with the CEO and said she loves getting to speak on the world stage.

Katie is the daughter of Athlonians Joe and Aisling Brill.