Junk Kouture, an international organization that challenges teens to design wearable haute couture styled from recycled materials, is coming to Southern California in February 2022.
The program, developed for middle and high school students to learn about sustainability, is designed around a competition-style format that culminates in a Junk Kouture World Final judged by a team of technical and celebrity judges. The next international final is scheduled for September 2022.
Chief Relationships Officer Rory Kelly said Junk Kouture aligns with many learning objectives currently addressed in schools but also strives to “combat the nature of normality” by challenging young people to “put down their phones, get out of their comfort zone and become micro-influencers for good” with new thought processes by being innovative with materials.
Their mission, she said, is to empower one billion young people throughout the world over the next 10 years, to make their own calls on how they can make a difference and be celebrated for doing so.
“One of the most exciting elements of the Junk Kouture program is the kids that it attracts. There are no criteria other than the age bracket. It is the young person’s choice to take part in Junk Kouture and to tell a story about something they may be passionate about,” Kelly said.
The ingenuity behind some of the designs students submit through Junk Kouture is “incredible,” Kelly said, with communities of creatives from different areas bringing awareness to different climate issues.
“For example, in New York City, we have seen several students tackle the incredible amount of packaging waste with their designs while in coastal towns in Ireland, there is often a focus on ocean plastics,” Kelly said.
Leaders at Junk Kouture, she said, believe that generation is “full of change-makers,” including some who will actively pursue careers in sustainability, while others will “simply lead their lives with an informed approach to waste and circularity” that is indicative of today’s teens.
The circular economy consists of economic models that highlight business opportunities where cycles, rather than linear processes, dominate. It is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, rather than focusing on an end product that is ultimately outdated, according to the European Union’s sustainability guide.
The kids in Gen-Z, those born between 1997 and 2012 are the most creative, climate-conscious group we’ve ever seen, Kelly said.
“These are not young people who are being taught about sustainability— they are actively practicing it and exploring new ways of doing so, whether it’s through their buying habits or indeed taking part in Junk Kouture,” Kelly said.
Students or families that are interested in learning more about what participating in Junk Kouture is like can check out their recently-launched documentary Waking the Muse, Kelly said, which tells the stories of three past participants, their journeys and life after the program. The film itself was created by two young creatives and can be found on YouTube.
Eventually, Junk Kouture hopes to develop its U.S. presence to the point where there will be multiple city finals throughout the country, Kelly said, as well as a thriving education program. Leaders want to “ensure that kids from all over have an opportunity to have their voice heard and their talents seen on a global scale” and hope to extend into Canada, Mexico, and South America over the next five to 10 years.
“We have already seen an amazing array of culture and diversity come through in our first round of international launches, and we are very excited to see what will come from San Diego next year,” Kelly said.
Visit junkkouture.com for more information.
