Marlborough Student's 'Junk' Fashion Debuts On World Stage

MARLBOROUGH, MA — This is not just a bunch of junk: a Marlborough student recently competed in an international fashion show.

Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School senior Elliot Cosco traveled to Monaco in February to compete in the Junk Kouture world finals — a fashion competition where designers use only recycled materials for their creations.

Cosco, the founder of Assabet's fashion club, earned their trip to the finals in 2023 after designing a garment called "Egoist," made using items like old CDs and an upcycled helmet. The Junk Kouture finals competition featured some 200 designers from 20 countries, age 13 to 18, and took place on Feb. 22.

Cosco wore the "Egoist" while walking down a catwalk, and ripped off the helmet for the finale. Cosco's entry didn't win the top prize, but they are entering Junk Kouture again this year.

"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," Cosco said in a news release. "This is not the top for me. I'm not done creating things."

Cosco, who is also the Assabet drama club president and a member of band and chorus, plans to study fashion after graduation.