Coronation Street star judges Wexford ‘Trash Panache’ fashion show

Much like the renowned Junk Kouture, Trash Panache focuses on sustainable fashion, encouraging participants to create stunning outfits made from recyclable materials.

However, this event was designed specifically for people with disabilities, allowing them to express their creativity and individuality in a truly unique way. The event is all about breaking boundaries and showing that fashion, art, and performance have no limits when it comes to talent.

The idea to expand the event from just inside Reach Ability, originated from a conversation among staff members Sheila Sinead Fowler and Lorna Hogan Martin, who envisioned a larger stage to celebrate the creativity of participants. With the support of their team leader, Jordana Black, and a year of dedicated planning, their dream became a reality.

To add to the excitement, there was a panel of celebrities including Coronation Street’s Mikey North, Mrs Brown’s Boys Eilish O’Carroll, and country music singer Cliona Hagen. The wonderful Beat FM duo Shona Lyons and Niall Power gave the atmosphere an electric feel.

Eight groups across the county partook in the competition alongside Reach Ability including; Ard Aoibhinn, Cumas New Ross, Resilience Healthcare, The Irish Wheelchair Association, RehabCare, The Collective Sensory Group, and Windmill Therapeutic. Each service was represented by talented individuals who took to the stage and strutted their stuff.

Representing Resilience Healthcare, an Irish owned health and social care provided founded in 2011, was model Kate O’Leary. Her dress ‘Angels, Devils, and Lot’s of Sparkles,’ was inspired by her interest in angels along with her cheeky side for having fun.

After going through many different ideas, they finally settled on a combination dress, compromising of a preloved skirt from a wedding dress that was dyed. They then used old dress bags and cut the shapes of angels and devils before hand-painting them and adding glitter. For the headpiece, they used an old headband and adding pampas grass originally part of a house decoration.

Next from the organisation was model Colin Grassick in ‘Bee Happy’ who walked the stage as Bumble Bee by speed played aptly in the background.

His attire was inspired by his love of bees, having completed his own bee-keeping course and his happy demeanour. It is made out of vines, lights, flowers, cages, and an old hat they picked up in a second-hand shop.

Rehabcare Wexford, a day centre that offers an individual approach to a person’s needs, was represented by model Aoife Shorthall in her ‘Pretty in Pink’ dress.

Inspired by Heart Weaver Studio, the dress reflects their respect for the environment and nature in the face of an increase of shopping online.

The ensemble has been made using fabric waste cut-offs of pink hollow polka dot strips, metal can lids, fluffy trimmings, and barbecue aluminum trays.

Their following entry was called ‘Queen of Sea-Weeds’ – a modern take on Mary Anning’s outfit who has been described as the “greatest fossil hunter ever known.”

The dress was constructed out of fabric waste, vegetable netting, sea weed, and egg cartons, hoping to highlight the nutritional value of seaweed found along the Irish coast.

Commanding the stage from Reach Ability was Diarmuid O’Brien, called ‘Phoenix Rising from the Ashes.’

His outfit was made from wooden floor underlay in both white and gold, old yoga mats, and plumber’s plastic piping. The yoga mat was cut into feather shapes and gently heated with a heat gun to help mould into shape.

The inspiration behind the dress is how the phoenix represents new beginnings, renewal, regeneration, while acting as a symbol of hope and life to come.

Their second model Sinead Wall wowed the audience with their ‘Bags of Style’ tea-themed entry, which proved to be a popular theme on the night.

Everyone in the hub banded together by collecting used tea bags to flatten and dry over the last few weeks. They intertwined old jewellery pearls and the boots were given by a lovely lady, who fittingly, loves a cup of tea more than anything.

Model Kelly dazzled on stage in her nature inspired dress, made by the people behind the Collective Sensory Group situated in the heart of Wexford Town. The group provides a person-centred service that allows adults with additional needs to enhance their skills.

The service users cut images from second-hand ecology books to represent getting back to nature. These images were stuck to CDs, sewn together, and attached to the outside of a dress sourced from a charity shop. Green and grey ribbons were intertwined between the CDs to represent the local community coming together.

Putting his best foot forward was Colin Egan on behalf of Cumas New Ross in his ‘Toasty Tea’ outfit. Cumas New Ross offers support for adults with disabilities, with a philosophy that promotes independence, choice, and empowerment.

The individuals used milk bottle caps and bread packaging to symbolise just how much people share stories and interact with each other over a cup of tea.

“As Irish people, tea and toast are the ultimate home comfort, and to some individuals Cumas feels like a second home to them,” they said.

For their second entry, modelled Colm McEvoy, they wanted to use readily available trash. Inventively, they had individuals enjoy crisps as a treat for lunch, using the packets for the outfits. Toilet rolls were also added to ‘Crisp Roll’ as a finishing touch.

Model Stephen Sinnott grabbed the judge’s attention in his ‘Centurion’ attire on behalf of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) as Bad Boys by Inner Circle played in the background.

The IWA provides a range of services for people with physical disabilities, supporting young people to build employability skills and confidence. Their entry was inspired by Roman history and the Star Wars movie.

The outfit, sewn by the IWA rehabilitation group Wexford, was made from recycled cardboard, bottle tops and fabric. The arm and leg protection was made from an old curtain and men’s ties collected from a charity shop.

Their second entry ‘Alexandrea’ modelled by Annette Barnes and inspired by the autumn season with all its colour and natural beauty. The dress was designed from old curtains, moulted peacock feathers, leaves, and Christmas decorations.

Windmill provides a day service to adults who have mild to moderate disabilities, offering a diverse range or community-based activities. Their piece ‘Unmasked’ was modelled fashionably by Sarah Wright and was inspired by the masks worn during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“During the pandemic, masks socially excluded us all, covering our faces and hiding the identity of those behind them. They also became a barrier to interaction and almost instilled fear in people. We wanted masks to ‘unmask’ our model, break down barriers and let the person behind the mask shine!” they said.

They said their dress was made with love, laughter, and bonded by giggles using batik materials, old surgical masks, crepe paper, wool, cardboard, and hand-embroidered images.

Ard Aoibhinn is a purpose-built facility catering for the needs of people with intellectual disability and/or autism. Their entry ‘Under the Sea’ and modelled by Lesley O’Leary is made from bottle caps, plastic bags, and bubble wrap to highlight the importance of limiting marine litter.

The overall winners on the night were

The winners were Reach Ability’s Sinead Wall with ‘Bags of Style, Cumas New Ross’ Colin Egan with Toasty Tea, and Ard Aoibhinn’s Lesley O’Leary with ‘Under the Sea.’

Lorna Hogan said that a significant milestone of Trash Panache was its commitment to accessibility.

“Recognizing the limited wheelchair seating at the O’Reilly Theatre, Reach Ability collaborated with the National Opera House to enhance accessibility. Over months of advocacy and planning, policy changes were made, additional fire evacuation chairs were purchased, and the entire back row of the third floor was opened for wheelchair seating. The theatre now accommodates up to 13 wheelchairs, ensuring a more inclusive experience for all patrons,” she said.