Teen Competition Joins France’s Sustainable Fashion Efforts

As the fashion capital of the world, France has long been known for its clothing and designer styles. But instead of just focusing on couture, France has shifted its focus to sustainable fashion, hoping to become the European leader in sustainable fashion by 2024 to coincide with the Olympic Games.

Even Galeries Lafayette has jumped on board offering a wider range of sustainable options. Smaller boutiques are incorporating upcycling into their styles to join the initiative to save the planet including popular brands such as Veja, Sézane, and Les Sublimes.

This is why teen competition Junk Kouture has chosen the perfect time to expand their competition to Paris, France.

What started as a small competition in Ireland to promote sustainable fashion and creativity in students has grown into a large-scale global competition with celebrity guests and sold-out arenas full of cheering fans. 

Junk Kouture is a global platform to unleash the creative brilliance of young people. One way it does this is through a fashion design competition that challenges the world’s most talented emerging designers, engineers, artists, and performers to envision, create and model high-end couture from everyday junk!

In 2021, participants from six countries will compete in a digital competition for the title of Junk Kouture World Designer of the Year; one of these countries includes France.

Last year’s winners were just announced and the students used unimaginable materials including sea glass, Nespresso capsules, and milk bottles. The techniques and craftsmanship wowed judges as teens crafted couture clothing using crochet, weaving, knitting, and embroidery techniques.

Many of the designs are of course French-inspired, including this beautiful piece titled “Coco de Eco” (pictured below). Investing in pieces for a lifetime that can be passed down from generation to generation is what fashion should be more about. 

This Chanel-inspired look was created out of price tags collected from clothing purchases. Every single price tag has been cut, shaped, and sprayed with silver to form a backless crop top and classic culottes. The jacket overtop is made completely out of bottle caps, discarded beads, gems, and out-of-date pasta. This is only one example of how students are showcasing French-inspired couture in a sustainable and creative manner. 

Another student created “Just My Impression” inspired by Claude Monet, a pioneer of the French impressionist painting movement. His renowned collection of the painting titled ‘Water Lilies’ was the inspiration behind this beautiful haute couture design. Materials used include rubber bicycle tubing, wooden fans, rope, bamboo, plastic water bottles, and Perspex. 

Sign up

If you think you have what it takes to reign supreme on the global stage or know someone who would be a good fit, you can enter as an individual or as a team with a maximum of three members for this exciting digital contest. There is no time like the present to get your thinking cap on and start considering your designs. 

If your school or students are interested in taking part, sign up to the Junk Kouture Webinar to learn more from a JK expert. Find the link here.

Download the handbook from the Junk Kouture website now to see all details you need to start your creative journey and become a part of the Junk Kouture community by downloading the Junk Kouture app available for both IOS and Android download. 

Keep up to date with all the developments on the social channels:

Instagram @junkkouture and Twitter @junkkouture.