Clothing designed by Carlow teens appears on Cannes Film Festival red carpet

Sarah Slater

A costume designed by two transition year students from St Leo’s College made an appearance on the red carpet at Cannes International Film Festival last week.

The Nia Pavliashvilli and Daria Velychko’s Shellsational design made from used pistachio shells and orange peels was modelled on the red carpet at Cannes by the current Miss Ireland Caoimhe Kenny.

Earlier this month the students' costume featured at the Junk Kouture regional finals in the Helix.

The design received widespread praise for its creativity and powerful social message.

Two other Junk Kouture designs were also on show at Cannes.

Work on the design began in September last year, with the inspiration coming from a Disney film.

Nina explained that the idea of pistachio shells being usually thrown away and seen as useless made the pair want to turn them into something “luxurious”.

“The gold colour represents wealth and luxury masking the poverty that still exists in many parts of the world,” she added.

Junk Kouture is an international competition that calls on students to design and create high-fashion outfits using only recycled and repurposed materials.

Thousands of students submit entries each year from across the world.