By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Computing giant Microsoft recently announced a licensing partnership with the sustainable youth fashion competition Junk Couture.
The partners’ mission is to raise awareness and educate the next generation about circular systems in fashion, as well as celebrating solutions where technology and creativity work together to help drive change in the industry.
“Microsoft and Junk Kouture share a vision to empower the next generation and encourage future circular engineers through connected education,” said Microsoft Director of Partnerships Maruschka Loubser. “Our technology allies with Junk Kouture’s mission and enables accessible information for students across the globe, no matter where they are.
“As a brand, Microsoft has a strong foundation in supporting, and empowering people and organizations in the fashion industry, to inspire creativity and innovation and build a more inclusive and sustainable future.”
Junk Kouture is a creative program open to 13-18-year-olds that challenges young people to design, upcycle and create high-end Kouture from 100 per cent recycled materials. The winning creations are then showcased at live events across the globe.
For example, the work ‘Jump for Joy’ in the photo at top is a creation by Orla NiEadrao of the Inverness Royal Academy, made from an old trampoline, bicycle spokes and sweet wrappers. It won the London City Designer of the Year Award. The photo below depicts the work Back to the Future, by Joshua Osabuehien and Solomon Eduard from Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School in Longford, UK. It won the debut edition of the Junk Kouture World Final and its creators were crowned the first-ever World Sustainable Designer of the Year.
Dubbed ‘The Eurovision for fashion and creative young people’, the competition focuses on creating the circular engineers of tomorrow, by taking junk and applying creativity and innovation to make garments suited for a fashion runway.
“Young people can often feel helpless in the face of the climate crisis and that’s why at Junk Kouture, we give them a global platform and the tools to use their voice and the creative outlet to showcase their solutions,” said Junk Kouture CEO and founder Troy Armour. “Our ambition is to reach 1 billion young people over the next 10 years, generating lasting behavioural change through creativity and education content around STEAM and sustainability that impacts our planets future along the way.”
Junk Kouture’s program includes an in-school educational platform that reaches over 850,000 students in 1,150 schools and is currently active in six countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. Over the next 10 years, Junk Kouture’s ambition is to enrich and empower the lives of a billion young people across the world through creativity and sustainability.
The new partnership will see Microsoft and Junk Kouture collaborate to develop Master Classes that can be viewed on Microsoft’s Flip platform, a video discussion app to share videos and build communities by learning together. Microsoft Flip will be the primary platform to connect masterclass experts from the world of fashion and sustainability with the global creative community of educators and students.
“We create the next generation of change makers, and that’s why it is vital for us to collaborate with the right partners like Microsoft, that not only align with our vision and values but have the global experience to help us achieve this ambition,” said Armour. “We are excited to have the team at Microsoft join us on this exciting journey.”
Related News You May Have Missed