Local Junk Kouture creations at COP 27 showcase
It's been an exciting week for Moate Community School and Our Lady's Bower students whose Junk Kouture creations were showcased in the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP 27) in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
Junk Kouture displayed two 2020 designs at the Resilience Hub at the summit - 'Netiquette' from Moate Community School made from plastic dry cleaner bags and plastic netting - and V.I.Pea from Our Lady's Bower Secondary School, Athlone, created from dried our pea pods and onion bags.
Áine Maxwell, Joyce Conway and Cora Farrell, the Moate team behind the creation 'Netiquette' said they were overwhelmed when their teacher, Pamela Keogh, told them the good news.
Joyce Conway said we were totally shocked and honoured when they heard their dress was being showcased at COP 27.
"We feel like we are shining a light on the climate crisis, and this is very important to us as young people who want to contribute to tackling this issue," she said.
At the Climate Change Summit (COP27) countries come together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Climate Change.
A video was made by the girls, to accompany the dress, which features as part of the display in Egypt. Aine Maxwell said when we were making the video they had to explain our reasons for entering the competition and the reasons for creating the design.
She said they entered the competition as the school has a long and successful tradition in taking part in the Junk Kouture competition, but they also know that the climate crisis is the most serious problem facing this generation and tackling the issue of plastic pollution is part of the solution. Moate art teacher Pamela Keogh, added: “We are so proud of the girls in making this amazing glamorous dress, in very difficult times during COVID, and for the work they put into it. I am truly delighted to see 'Netiquette' showcased at such an important global event where the eyes of the world get to see the work produced in a school located in the Midlands of Ireland. We are a country school in the heart of one of the smallest countries in the EU but we are still punching above our weight”.
Another Moate team member Cora Farrell, who modelled the dress for the competition explained how they used plastic bags from the dry cleaners, plastic netting from Christmas trees together with other plastic materials. Cora and her team wanted to highlight how material which is considered a “waste product” can be re-purposed and made into a fabric that can be fashionable and glamourous.
Katie Brill, SVP PR and Communications at Junk Kouture added: "When the opportunity arose for Junk Kouture to have a presence in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt for the annual United Nations Climate Summit, COP27 we were overjoyed. Through our recent collaboration with Deloitte, Junk Kouture had been offered a display space within the Resilience Hub at the summit, which meant we could showcase creations from our alumni to thousands of attendees travelling for COP27 from across the world.
"Junk Kouture displayed two designs at the Resilience Hub - 'Netiquette' from Moate Community School made from plastic dry cleaner bags and plastic netting and V.I.Pea from Our Lady's Bower Secondary School, Athlone created from dried our pea pods and onion bags. The presence of these designs, highlight the power and participation of youth at the summit, amplifying the voices of youth and their efforts in sustainability through their innate creativity," she added.
The Resilience Hub in COP 27 is designed to connect and inspire people across business, civil society, academia and government to collaborate and scale up action that builds resilience to the impact of climate change and makes communities around the world safer, healthier and more just.