Cork students turn waste into want to get to Junk Kouture finals

Three secondary school students from Cork have advanced to the Junk Kouture regional finals, which are set to take place in Dublin next week.

Abhilina Ní Riain, Aoife Ferguson and Hollie O’Donovan, all transition year students at Kinsale Community School, were recognised for their project entitled ‘Augmented Humanity’, which saw electronic waste transformed into a high-fashion gown.

Their design, which incorporated the use of old Cat 6 data cables, keyboard keys and printed circuit boards, was selected from more than 1,200 entries across Ireland and will now compete against 59 other designs at the Junk Kouture regional finals.

Creating their design, the students spent months stripping cables and weaving kilometres of cable to form a fabric-like structure, which were provided by local Kinsale computer company Elasnik. 

The team at Elasnik, led by Michelle and Trevor Ryan, supported the project by collecting electronic waste components for the students to repurpose.

Science fiction

Their project was inspired by science fiction films such as The Matrix and The Fifth Element as they imagined a future where humans and technology merge through intelligent clothing.

The piece also highlights the growing issue of electronic waste, as research has shown that Irish consumers generated more than 11 million items of ‘invisible’ e-waste in 2023, including cables and small electronic devices that are often discarded or forgotten in drawers.

By transforming these materials into fashion, the students hope to raise awareness about the environmental impact of electronic waste and encourage people to consider repair, reuse, upcycling and responsible recycling before sending devices to landfill.

The regional finals will take place across three days at The Helix Centre for the Performing Arts on the grounds of Dublin City University from March 9-11.

If successful at the regional finals, the Kinsale-based team could have the opportunity to progress to the Junk Kouture national finals, and further to the world final next year.

For information, or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.thehelix.ie/junkkoutureregionalfinals2026.