At Hartland International School, we pride ourselves on nurturing student creativity and innovation. Our approach to education goes beyond academic excellence, as we strive to provide our students with opportunities to explore and develop their passions. One such opportunity was our participation in the Junk Kouture competition.
Junk Kouture is a global fashion competition that challenges young designers to create unique and stylish outfits from recycled or waste materials. The competition aims to promote sustainability and raise awareness about the importance of recycling and reducing waste. The competition is open to students aged 11 to 18, and schools from all over the world participate in it.
Our Junk Kouture journey started in November of 2021, after Mrs. Fiona Cottam, our school principal, was contacted about the competition. The sewing enrichment quickly turned into the Junk Kouture enrichment, and students were excited to start working on their designs. Initially, students entered the first UAE-only competition, where they were tasked with designing and making a headdress that symbolised 50 years of the UAE, using only recycled or waste materials.
All the students who entered were featured on the Junk Kouture Instagram page, and Alayna was awarded the 14+ category winner of the competition with her Islam inspire design made using coat hangers and coffee cup sleeves. The win was a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of our students, as they demonstrated their ability to turn trash into treasure.
After the success of the UAE-only competition, students began working on their catwalk pieces, which they worked on from January to March. They continued to add to and improve their work, ready to see if they could gain a place in the UAE finals. Amazingly, all 5 Hartland teams made it to the UAE finals. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, the live finals had to be cancelled, and instead, the finals took place live on YouTube.
From the UAE finals, Alayna and her design Gaea were selected to represent the UAE as one of the 10 finalists. These finals took place in January 2023 and were the first Junk Kouture World finals with students from Abu Dhabi, London, Dublin, Milan, Paris and New York. Alayna modelled her own design on a catwalk at the Etihad arena in Abu Dhabi, and while she did not take an award home on the night, she was selected from all the contestants to be photographed by marketing company Digital Farm, as well as being featured in many Instagram and press articles.
At Hartland International School, we are incredibly proud of the achievements of our students in the Junk Kouture competition. It is a testament to their creativity, hard work, and commitment to sustainability. Our students have demonstrated that they are not only talented designers but also environmentally conscious individuals who care deeply about the future of our planet.
Our Junk Kouture journey has also been an opportunity for us to reinforce our commitment to sustainability and raise awareness about the importance of recycling and reducing waste. It has been an inspiration for our students and the wider community to think creatively about how they can make a positive impact on the environment.
Looking forward, we are excited to see what our students will come up with for the next round of Junk Kouture. We are confident that they will continue to demonstrate their creativity and commitment to sustainability, and we can’t wait to support them on their journey.
In conclusion, Hartland International School’s Junk Kouture journey has been a celebration of student creativity and sustainability. It has been an opportunity for our students to showcase their talents, raise awareness about important issues, and inspire others to think creatively about how they can make a positive impact on the world. We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements in this competition, and we look forward to seeing what they will create next.
At Hartland, we are committed to providing opportunities for our students to develop their creative and critical thinking skills, while also encouraging them to become responsible global citizens who care about the environment. Our Junk Kouture journey is just one example of how we integrate sustainability and creativity into our curriculum and extracurricular activities.
We believe that every student has the potential to make a positive impact on the world, and we are dedicated to supporting them on their journey of discovery and growth. Through competitions like Junk Kouture, we aim to empower our students to become changemakers who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in their communities and beyond.
We invite you to join us on this journey of creativity, sustainability, and empowerment. Come and see for yourself what makes Hartland International School such a special place, where students are inspired to be the best version of themselves and to make a positive impact on the world.
