Athlone student among winners in secondary schools' fashion contest
An Athlone Community College student was announced as one of the category winners at a fashion competition for second-level students in the Midlands and East.
Ian Concannon was delighted to win the 'Best Tailoring' section at the Relove Fashion Competition.
"I'm super happy and proud of myself for accomplishing this and getting an award from the Relove Fashion competition. All the hard work and time really paid off," commented Ian.
The winners of the Relove Fashion Competion were announced by broadcaster Lorraine Keane on Thursday last.
The competition was open to secondary schools in the Eastern Midlands Waste Region and it encouraged students to take a deeper look at how their clothing is made.
Ten local authorities came together, with the Rediscovery Centre, to create the Relove Fashion Competition to help students explore creative reuse options such as upcycling, repairs, alterations, and mending.
Students were challenged to design a unique piece of sustainable fashion and to enter to win the top prize of a €1,000 fashion design pack from the Rediscovery Centre.
The competition was funded by Westmeath County Council in conjunction with 9 other Local Authorities: Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Meath, South Dublin and Wicklow.
At the virtual final, all eighteen finalist designs were revealed and given feedback from judges Arran Murphy, Rediscover Fashion Programme Manager; Joanne Rourke, Eastern-Midlands Regional Waste Management Plan Office; and broadcaster and founder of Fashion Relief, Lorraine Keane.
In addition to Ian Concannon's win in the Best Tailoring section, the other category winners were: Best Casual - Maria Candela, Alyssa O’Leary, Sarah Ambrose, Roisin Moore and Fina Torrecilla from St Raphaela’s Dun Laoghaire; Best Evening - Sarah Fogarty Malahide Community School; Most Innovative - Lily Hemus, Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School in Longford; and the Overall Winner was Rebecca Power, Muckross Park College, Dublin.
All eighteen finalists won a free sustainable fashion workshop by the Rediscovery Centre's Rediscover Fashion social enterprise. The overall winner won a design pack from the Rediscovery Centre worth €1,000.
Westmeath County Council Cathaoirleach Ken Glynn said: "I am delighted to congratulate Ian Concannon on his win for the Best Tailoring Award.
"This is a high accolade to achieve and points to a successful career in the fashion industry if Ian decides to follow that path. I wish him every success in the future."