Two students from Ayr have been showcasing their talent for dressmaking, using only recycled materials to highlight sustainability issues in the fashion industry.

Katie and Summer, from Wellington School have been taking part in ‘Junk Kouture’, an initiative designed for the youth of today who want to express their creativity and make a positive impact on climate change.

Junk Kouture asks students aged 13-18 to create bespoke garments using only recycled materials and challenges its participants to design, create and model their wearable haute couture styled from rubbish.

Katie and Summer’s design can be seen in the photos on the right (the red dress).

If successful, students’ designs will be showcased at the Junk Kouture World Final, taking place in September 2022.

Where, alongside a team of technical judges, participants will also be judged by a prestigious celebrity panel, including esteemed fashion veteran and Course Director of Central St Martin’s, Fabio Piras as well as media personality and pop culture icon, Michelle Visage.

During COP26, Junk Kouture will be working with schools in the area to showcase the importance of educating the youth on sustainability and challenging the way they look at discarded items.

Originating in Ireland where it has been a successful campaign, engaging more than 100,000 participants over the last 10 years, Junk Kouture recently branched out across the globe, and Katie and Summer travelled to London to help launch the UK arm of the competition.

It is launching in five new cities: New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Milan and Paris with a goal of launching in 13 cities by the end of 2023.

Speaking about the programme, Jane Smith, Chief Content Officer at Junk Kouture stated: “We at Junk Kouture have a real vision to enrich and empower the lives of young people through creativity and sustainability.

“It has never been more important to take action against climate change. We do this through influencing the behaviour of young people, creating the circular engineers of tomorrow.

“All across the UK, there are cities bursting with inspiring creatives and we’re very excited to be launching here to discover the incredible young talent the UK has to offer.”

Speaking about the UK launch, Michelle Visage said: “Having been involved in Junk Kouture over the past year, I am delighted to be judging the UK competition in 2022.

“It is such a wonderful platform for young people to show their creativity, their passion and their ingenuity, while being able to make a positive impact on the planet and their peers.”