Zuzanna is ‘Ex Static’ at reaching world final

A TALLAGHT teenager will be competing in the world final of the Junk Kouture competition in the Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi next week.

Zuzanna Cieslewicz, a fifth year Old Bawn Community School student from Belgard, made it to the final of the competition with her creation ‘Ex Static’.

Junk Kouture tasks post-primary pupils with creating high-end designs and then creating them using 100 per cent recycled materials.

‘Ex Static’ was created by Zuzanna using a variety of recycled materials from her school and home. These materials included insulation foam, plastic shopping bags which she crocheted into gloves, wire which she used to make a corset, and masking tape and cardboard.

Zuzanna previously told The Echo: “I decided to make a TV head because TVs are made up of all of the shiny metals and plastics that you see in garbage piles.”

Fifth year student Zuzanna Cieslewicz in her Junk Kouture creation

The other features of her design include attention-grabbing platform boots, consisting of 40 layers of insulation foam in each boot to create the platform, which were then sealed with thick electrical tape.

Zuzanna’s design was selected as a ‘wild card’ for the competition earlier this year and made it to the final as a result of a public vote.

She will compete against other budding young designers from around the world at the Junk Kouture World Final in Abu Dhabi next Wednesday, January 11.