Colleagues,
An Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School student recently returned from Monaco, where she competed among young fashion designers in the Junk Kouture World Finals.
David
for Police, Fire, Municipal Government
Assabet Valley Tech Student Competes in Junk Kouture Fashion World Finals
March 13, 2024 Camryn Langille Client News, School News
MARLBOROUGH — Superintendent-Director Ernest F. Houle is pleased to share that an Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School student recently returned from Monaco, where they competed among young fashion designers in the Junk Kouture World Finals.
Junk Kouture, a sustainable fashion design competition, challenges young people ages 13-18 to design, upcycle, and create high-end couture from nothing but recycled materials, before showcasing their design and representing their school on stages across the world.
In May, it was announced that Elliot Cosco, a senior from Marlborough and Assabet’s Fashion Club founder, had earned a position in the World Finals for their piece “Egoist.”
Each garment created for Junk Kouture is designed with a story in mind. Cosco’s “Egoist” aims to express the trend of self-absorption. The outfit features a galaxy of planets made from CDs that surround the model, a space helmet, and a bountiful skirt that represents the infinite galactic universe.
More than 200 participants spanning 20 nationalities and five continents came together to celebrate and compete in the 2nd annual Junk Kouture World Finals, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Feb 22.
Elliot Cosco walks the runway at the World Finals.
Even the competition’s location stayed consistent with the theme of sustainability. The Grimaldi Forum is powered entirely by solar panels and is the leading producer of solar energy in Monaco.
As part of the experience, Cosco and chaperone Deborah Harper, a teacher at Assabet, joined Team New York in their travels to Monaco. They attended presentations and a lab where they were able to interact with students and teachers from other teams prior to the competition. Cosco and Harper were also able to explore Monaco and ate many croissants along the way. On competition day, Cosco used their theater background to play up their performance as they walked the runway. Halfway down the runway, Cosco removed their helmet, revealing bright red hair and golden makeup.
Elliott Cosco stands with members of Team New York.
While strutting to an excerpt of “The Main Character” by Will Wood, Cosco used movements and gestures to signify their character’s inflated ego, aligning with the garment’s namesake.
“Although we did not return a world winner,” said Harper, “the experience of traveling to such an exquisite location left us with lasting memories of an enormous accomplishment. Elliot deserves a lot of credit for their continued perseverance, creativity, and determination. They started the fashion club here at Assabet, and before you know it, we made it into the World Finals. I’m so proud of everything they have accomplished and seeing them walk that stage amongst students from around the world was such an amazing moment.”
Cosco’s “Egoist” aims to express the trend of self-absorption. The outfit features a galaxy of planets made from CDs that surround the model, a space helmet, and a bountiful skirt that represents the infinite galactic universe.
“This experience was challenging, and I got to meet new people from around the world. It was a jam-packed schedule, and for a lot of the time I was running on only a few hours of sleep, but I had a great time at the competition,” said Cosco. “This is not the top for me. I’m not done creating things.”
Cosco, in addition to founding the school’s Fashion Club, is also the Drama Club President and participates in band, chorus, and SkillsUSA. They plan to take another shot at getting to the Junk Kouture World Finals this year with a brand-new design.
Cosco intends to further their passion for design and creativity while studying fashion after graduating from Assabet.
About Junk Kouture — Junk Kouture began in 2010 as a small independent fashion competition for local secondary schools in northwest Ireland. Junk Kouture went global in 2021 and has created an engaged, active, and inspiring community of young people working together to make a difference against climate change. Due to its worldwide appeal, more than 15,000 designs have been created, 60 sold-out arena shows have been held, and 40,000 kilograms of waste has been saved from landfills.
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
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