St Leo’s in Dublin City finals of Junk Kouture

A TEAM of creators from St Leo’s College have qualified for the Junk Kouture national Dublin City finals in The Helix, Dublin in May.

The costume Pink Paragon was designed by Aoibhín Brennan, Roisín Brennan and Hannah Lawlor, and is inspired by the beauty industry and society’s standards of beauty today.

Roisín and Aoibhín said: “If we wear cosmetics or don't, these decisions are ours to make. We believe nobody should tell you how much or how little make-up you should wear. It’s your face, your make-up and your life. Make-up is a form of self-expression and you should do whatever makes you the happiest. For our headpiece we decided to create a crown representing the strength and power it takes to be yourself. We fashioned a corset made from old CDs to demonstrate the reflection of other people's perception of you and we broke the CDs to also break society’s stereotype of what beauty should be and how you should be true to yourself.” 

They continued: “The overall costume was inspired by the character Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. She is a fashion icon who doesn’t conform to society’s expectations of her as a young woman.

“We believe in promoting sustainable fashion as we used old make-up packaging, a secondhand corset, shop-soiled loofahs, CDs, clothes hangers, soft play balls, dried-out make-up wipes, wire and foam from a child’s playpen, an old duster and bath bombs to create our unique design. Finally, we are thrilled to qualify for the national finals and are so grateful for the guidance and support received from our teacher, Tara Gooch.”