Latest News
Announcements, city finals, partnerships and the stories behind the designs.

12 World Finalists revealed at Junk Kouture Dublin City Final 2026
The Junk Kouture Dublin City Final 2026 delivered a spectacular evening of creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation, as outstanding student designs from all over Ireland took to t…
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Junk Kouture x DHL Express Ireland: Behind the Scenes in Dublin
Junk Kouture recently partnered with DHL Express Ireland to deliver an exclusive behind-the-scenes warehouse experience for our Dublin City Finalists. Students were given rare acce…

Junk Kouture World Final returns to Dublin
Global sustainable fashion showcase for young people brings creativity, circularity and innovation to The Helix, Tuesday 24 th February With support from headline sponsor EUROSPAR…

Sweet 16: Junk Kouture celebrates 16 years in Ireland As EUROSPAR returns as headline sponsor of Junk Kouture
Sweet 16: Junk Kouture celebrates 16 years in Ireland As EUROSPAR returns as headline sponsor of Junk Kouture EUROSPAR Supermarkets to support 10 Irish Junk Kouture teams at Junk K…

Sustainable style showcased by young NI designers
Sustainable style showcased by young NI designers Translink and Junk Kouture combine to create eco fashion hub Belfast Grand Central Station was transformed into a vibrant hub of c…

From Classrooms to World Stages to the UN: Junk Kouture Launches Global Impact Report in New York, Founder Honoured at United Nations
New York, 29 September 2025 What if yesterday’s waste could become tomorrow’s runway masterpiece? For more than 100,000 young people across 74 countries, Junk Kouture is proving th…

Translink and Junk Kouture Launch New Initiative to Inspire Sustainable Thinking
16th September 2025 Translink and Junk Kouture Launch New Initiative to Inspire Sustainable Thinking “A Journey to Sustainable Style” encourages upcycling among young fashion enthu…

Claire Cruz Announced as Winner of ReMade Circular Design Challenge by Vision Ireland x Junk Kouture
Vision Ireland Retail and Junk Kouture are proud to announce Claire Cruz as the winner of ReMade: A Circular Design Challenge, recognising her outstanding creativity, craftsmanship and innovative use of pre-loved materials. Claire’s winning design, Courtside Couture, stood out among a highly competitive group of emerging designers, showcasing the power of circular fashion to transform discarded materials into bold, future-facing design. Following her win, Claire now enters the next phase of the campaign, the design and development of a three-look sustainable collection, which will be created entirely using donated and recycled materials sourced through Vision Ireland Retail. The collection will be unveiled at Electric Picnic 2026, where it will be showcased live across the festival weekend, before being auctioned to raise vital funds for Vision Ireland services. ReMade was created to spotlight the next generation of designers while challenging perceptions of pre-loved fashion. By connecting emerging talent with real-world materials and platforms, the initiative demonstrates how creativity and sustainability can work hand in hand to shape the future of fashion. A spokesperson for Vision Ireland Retail added: “ReMade is about more than design, it’s about reimagining what fashion can be. Claire’s work embodies everything this challenge stands for, and we’re excited to see her bring this collection to life using materials that already exist within our circular ecosystem.” The campaign will continue to follow Claire’s journey in the lead-up to Electric Picnic, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, material sourcing and design development.

Junk Kouture heads to Volcano Summit 2026
Three Junk Kouture designers are heading to Antigua, Guatemala this September to represent the global creative community at Volcano Summit 2026: Echoes of Expansion. Taking place from 5–7 September, the seventh edition of Volcano Summit will bring together leaders, innovators and changemakers from around the world to explore ideas across purpose, community, innovation, impact and transformation. Representing Junk Kouture will be Joseph Monaghan from Ireland, alongside Haseena Atariwa and Isis Madeira from the USA, bringing young creative voices and their Junk Kouture experiences to an international platform. Junk Kouture Founder & CEO Troy Armour will also take to the stage during the Summit to deliver a keynote, sharing the Junk Kouture journey and its mission to empower young people through creativity, circular thinking and real-world experiences. Follow Junk Kouture on social media next week for designer vlogs and behind-the-scenes updates from Antigua.

Vision Ireland Returns to Electric Picnic 2026 with New Main Arena Location and ReMade Auction
Vision Ireland Retail is returning to Electric Picnic 2026 with a new location in the Main Arena, bringing its premium pre-loved fashion offering closer to the heart of the festival. This year, festival-goers will find the Vision Ireland Retail pop-up at the entrance to the Main Arena, marking an exciting move for the charity retailer’s growing presence on the Irish festival circuit. The pop-up will feature a curated edit of pre-loved festival fashion, including vintage pieces, shell and bomber jackets, knits, fleeces and one-off finds, giving festival-goers the opportunity to shop sustainably throughout the weekend. The move into the Main Arena builds on Vision Ireland Retail’s ambition to make pre-loved fashion more visible, accessible and aspirational, bringing circular retail directly into one of Ireland’s biggest cultural events. A major highlight of this year’s Electric Picnic activation will be the reveal of the ReMade collection by Claire Cruz, winner of ReMade: A Circular Design Challenge by Vision Ireland x Junk Kouture. Claire was selected as the winner following the creation of her original design, Courtside Couture, which demonstrated her creativity, craftsmanship and approach to transforming pre-loved materials into contemporary fashion. Following her win, Claire entered the next stage of the challenge: creating a three-look sustainable collection using donated and recycled materials sourced through Vision Ireland Retail. The completed collection will be unveiled and showcased at Electric Picnic before each of the three complete looks is made available through a dedicated online auction, raising vital funds for Vision Ireland services. The ReMade auction will go live on Tuesday, 25 August at 9:00am and remain open until Tuesday, 1 September at 8:00pm. Each look will be listed as a complete outfit through the Vision Ireland eBay store, with the auction promoted online across Vision Ireland’s social channels and directly to festival-goers at the Electric Picnic pop-up. ReMade was created to spotlight the next generation of Irish design talent while challenging perceptions of pre-loved fashion and demonstrating the creative possibilities of materials already in circulation. A spokesperson for Vision Ireland Retail said: “Electric Picnic has become an important platform for us to show just how exciting, relevant and creative pre-loved fashion can be. Moving into the Main Arena this year is a really positive step for us and gives even more festival-goers the opportunity to discover Vision Ireland Retail and shop pre-loved across the weekend. “ReMade takes that message even further. Claire’s collection demonstrates what can happen when talented young designers are given the opportunity to reimagine donated materials. We’re incredibly excited to reveal the finished looks at Electric Picnic and then give people the opportunity to own a one-of-one look from the collection while supporting Vision Ireland services.” The Electric Picnic activation forms part of Vision Ireland Retail’s wider work to encourage reuse, extend the life of donated goods and position pre-loved fashion as a first-choice option for consumers. Festival-goers can follow Vision Ireland Retail across social media throughout the weekend for pop-up updates, collection reveals and direct links to the ReMade auction. ENDS For media enquiries, please contact: brenda.kelly@vi.ie







