TV date for Granard students in Junk Kouture Grand Final

Cnoc Mhuire Granard students Aoibhinn Ginty, Leah Hanlon and Shannon Moran are ready to hit the small screen on December 9 at 7pm as the Junk Kouture Grand Final will be aired on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.

The girls created an incredible design called Save This Image, based on the existence of digital divides in the world today.

The three talented students were shocked to discover that only around 35% of the population in developing countries have access to the internet.

"For us, the internet is not a luxury but a basic necessity for economic and human development and connection," they explained.

Materials used in their design include waste copper wire stripped from their plastic covering. The wires are handwoven macramé and then hand-stitched. Cable ties are also used in this design. It took more than two hours to weave each body-length strip of macramé.

The Granard team will be one of 40 teams of students to appear on RTÉ next week as the recycled fashion contest Junk Kouture Powered by RTÉ makes its return to TV screens for a second year running, in a re-designed format due to Covid-19.

While it has been a challenging year for everyone, finalists didn’t let anything derail their bid for Junk Kouture glory and the incredible attention to detail, inspiring backstories, and innovative use of what anyone else might consider old rubbish means viewers at home will be in for a truly spectacular show.

The broadcast of the Junk Kouture final by RTÉ also enables these talented young people to express themselves to a wider audience while embracing sustainable habits and becoming the future changemakers of our world.

In true Junk Kouture style, the 2021 finalists will have to impress a star-studded panel of judges who know a little bit about thinking outside the box when it comes to creativity, design and performance. New judge, best-selling cookbook author, entrepreneur and fashion-upcycling enthusiast Roz Purcell, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Michelle Visage, TV personality and music manager Louis Walsh and former winner and fashion designer Stephen McLaughlin will all lend their expertise in the search for the next winner of Junk Kouture, alongside technical judges Head of Department of Fine Art and Education in Limerick School of Art and Design Dr Tracy Fahey and Programme Director for Fashion Design at Griffith College Jane Leavy.

Back for another year of presenting duties are RTÉ 2FM hosts Laura Fox and Emma Power, while all the behind-the-scenes action will be brought to viewers by new presenting team, RTÉ Kids presenters Órla Morris Toolen and Seán Treacy. There’ll also be musical entertainment provided by the dynamic Dublin-based rapper JYellowL performing his hit single ‘Oh Lawd’ as well as plenty of feedback on designs from the eagle-eyed judging panel.

On the night, the overall winner of Junk Kouture 2021 will be announced live on television as well as the five regional winners. Then it will be over to the Junk Kouture After Party on the Junk Kouture YouTube channel at 8pm, also presented by RTÉ 2FM’s Laura Fox and Emma Power alongside Órla and Sean, as they catch up with the judges and winning students and the remainder of the awards are presented including two Glamour awards, Creative for a Cause award, Finishing Touches award, Best Performance award, the Most Unusual Material award, plus the Teacher of the Year award.

Viewers at home will also have the chance to have their say and vote for their favourites with the RTÉ 2FM Audience Award.

They can vote online on RTÉ.ie from December 9 -19 with the winner announced on RTÉ 2FM on Monday, December 20.