Stephen’s dress (left) on the red carpet at the Royal Film Premiere of Hugo in 2011.
BANK of Ireland Junk Kouture in association with Repak, Ireland’s premier recycled fashion competition, returns for a fifth year bringing new faces to the judging panel who have plenty of experience in the fashion industry.
Previous Junk Kouture prize winner Stephen McLaughlin will make his judging debut at the southern regional final in Limerick in March. Stephen is a past pupil of Carndonagh Community School and is currently a third year student in Fashion Design in the Limerick School of Art and Design.
In 2009 Stephen entered Junk Kouture as a Transition Year student with team mates Niamh McDonald and Aisling McCallion. Their design, Woman’s Empowerment, went on to win the Bank of Ireland Glamour prize which saw it showcased on the red carpet at the Royal Film Premiere of Hugo in London.
Stephen said: “Junk Kouture was a truly fantastic experience and the foundation for my future studies, it gave me both the hunger and desire to continue with this passion and love for fashion design into my third level education.”
In his designs, Stephen tries to search for innovation in terms of the garment construction and working on the stand with flat patterns. He loves the idea of bringing together the past and the present using both traditional and modern ideas to create diverse contemporary designs.
Stephen McLaughlin, Carndonagh, Junk Kouture Judge.
As a first time Judge in Junk Kouture 2015 Stephen will put into practice what he has learned from both his experiences as a past contestant in the competition and as a current fashion design student. He is hoping to find a design which incorporates recycled material into extravagant couture fashion.
Stephen hopes to obtain a five month internship within the fashion industry in London next year, and hopes to continue his studies with a masters in Fashion Design.
Stephen, along with the other four judges who are yet to be revealed, will be responsible for finding and crowning the winner of the Bank of Ireland Junk Kouture 2015 competition for the fifth time.
Online registration will open on January 12th and close at midnight on January 31st 2015 on www.junkkouture.com.