Junk Kouture
Careers at Junk Kouture
Junk Kouture is a platform for youth creative expression, that challenges students in second level education to create wearable fashion out of 100% recycled materials. Our goal is to enrich and empower the lives of young people through creativity and sustainability, creating the circular engineers of tomorrow - young people who view waste as not aways something that has to be discarded, but that can be given a new life too. We provide educational resources to help get the programme up and running in schools as well as masterclasses on YouTube to demonstrate to the students how they can manipulate recycled materials using techniques to turn them into something beautiful. Once they have their design created, students submit their creation onto the Junk Kouture app where they are then judged by a celebrity panel ahead of the live events that take place in the summer. Founded in Ireland in 2010 by tech entrepreneur, and CEO of Junk Kouture, Troy Armour, the competition has recruited 100,000 participants to date, 15,000 Kouture designs made and 40,000kg of waste saved from landfill. Now, in 2021, Junk Kouture has launched in five of the world’s most dynamic cities: New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Milan and Paris. We also have goal of reaching 13 cities by the end of 2023, and a 10-year goal of impacting the lives of 1billion young people across the globe by 2032. With over 800 schools actively participating in the programme, the message of Junk Kouture is already spreading rapidly and the World Tour will allow it to expand even further, giving more young people the chance to express their creativity and impact climate change, no matter where they live or where they come from.
Escape's take on Junk Kouture
If the idea of a fashion show competition that brings together sustainability and youth participation sparks your interest, then look no further. Junk Kouture is one of the largest youth sustainability events in the UK and Ireland, where using only recycled materials, students embark on a nine-month programme with the hope of qualifying for a spot on the Junk Kouture stage. The Grand Final each season sees sell-out crowds attend a truly mind-blowing show of music, drama, energy and emotion, which is described as “A Night at the Opera” for the 21st Century. Capturing the imagination of over 100,000 students, Junk Kouture is also pretty popular with its team, with them citing in the Escape 100 survey the collaborative team environment, fully remote and 4-day week, extensive opportunities to upskill (e.g. courses, foreign languages), “welcoming, safe and diverse community” and “the magic of thinking big”.
Stats we are proud of
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100%
of our effort goes into enriching the lives of young people
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100%
of our effort goes into creating an inclusive platform
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100%
of our effort goes to generating positive change for planet
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100%
of designs are kept or recycled after programme cycle