Junk Kouture's world final plans announced as 2020 national final confirmed
Plans to grow Junk Kouture into a World Tour that spans the seven continents between January and August each year and culminates with a World Final at the end of September have been announced.
TOP: A scene from the 2020 western regional final.
Junk Kouture’s World Final has the ambition to become the Eurovision of young sustainable fashion and creativity, as the world’s youth gather to showcase their creative skills.
Junk Kouture’s World Tour will build momentum over the next three years. Beginning in January 2021, the initial season will take place digitally in five new cities: London, Milan, New York City, Paris, and Dubai, before adding further digital shows in Tokyo, Auckland, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, Cape Town, and Singapore in 2022 and then transition back to a full live tour with shows being hosted in some of the most iconic venues around the world as we return to pre-Covid normality.
Next year sixty finalists – ten each from Ireland, the UK, Italy, America, France, and the UAE - will compete in the Global Digital Final. There will be one winner from each territory while one talented designer will be crowned ‘Junk Kouture World Designer of the Year’. See our website for more details on the other amazing awards up for grabs.
Junk Kouture PR & Comms Executive, Athlone native Katie Brill said: "The new World Tour will be rolled out to mark 11 years of Junk Kouture. Our ambition is clear, we want to enrich and empower the lives of one billion young people across the world through sustainability and creativity. While we launch with digital shows now, we will transition to our full live World Tour by 2023, post-Covid. Our plans are 13 shows across seven continents, one every three weeks, similar in a way to Formula 1 - we want to make sure that as many young artists can get access to the empowerment and opportunities that Junk Kouture brings.”
Meanwhile, organisers have confirmed that the Junk Kouture national final will take place in 2020, but in a new digital format.
The grand final in the 3Arena was postponed in April and organisers have now come up with a solution to ensure that finalists still have the opportunity to strut your stuff and possibly walk away as the overall winner of this year’s competition.
Three ocal entries had qualified for the national final - who will be filmed in Dublin showcasing their designs.
In total, there were two qualifiers from Sacred Heart School, Tullamore - 'Fight the Flame' designed by Roisin Dunne, Kate Healy and Aine Lynch, and 'Memory Lane' designed Emma Beatty.
And Moya Ibbotson, Katie Flynn and Moya Guinan of Gallen Community School, Ferbane, were chosen for a wildcard ticket to the final with their design Bee Gold
The grand final will be broadcast from Dublin on the RTÉ Player in a socially-distanced final hosted by RTÉ 2FM presenters Laura Fox and Emma Power in December.
Celebrity judges Michelle Visage and Louis Walsh will also be back on hand to help choose the over-all winner. And a public vote for a brand new award will also take place on the night so be sure to tell your friends to tune in and show their support!
The new digital format will allow judges such as star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Michelle Visage to remain involved, albeit from the other side of the world.