James really has it in the '˜Tayto crisps' bag!

The announcement was made at the recent Camerata Ireland Fashion Showcase where James walked away with a tasty bursary of £150.

The competition was open to all fashion students at the Met and is part of Tayto’s ongoing commitment to encouraging young talent and supporting local education.

Elly Hunter, Tayto marketing director, explained: “When we were developing this competition with Belfast Met, we really wanted to challenge the students and test their ingenuity to the limit. All the garments were made totally from crisp packaging which is unlike any material they will ever have used before and they had to consider many different factors before creating their piece. The results are amazing and they have clearly drawn inspiration from a variety of sources.

“I would like to congratulate all our finalists, Andrew Moore, James Magennis and Charles Leathem, who have each taken some of our iconic packaging and transformed it into a catwalk sensation, showcasing the raw talent of some of our stars of the future.”

Claire Concannon, course co-ordinator from Belfast Metropolitan College, added: “Working with crisp packaging has been a very valuable learning experience for our ingenious students who have more than risen to the challenge. The judges had an almost impossible decision narrowing the entries down to just three finalists who all showed technical ability combined with creative flair and imagination. The finalists were then featured on the Tayto Northern Ireland facebook page with more than 2000 people voting for their favourite.

“All three finalists should be very proud of what they have achieved and they have certainly made a lasting impact on the catwalk and attracted huge interest from those attending – it’s hard to believe that these are made from material more commonly seen on the production lines at Tayto Castle.

“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote and for the many shares which helped to bring our students’ work to a wide audience.”

Tayto crisps have been made at Tayto Castle, Co Armagh, since 1956 when Thomas Hutchinson spotted a gap in the market to make tasty potato snacks. The company remains family-owned by the Hutchinsons and is now run by Thomas’s children. Since its beginnings more than 60 years ago, Tayto has grown into an international business, supplying crisps and snacks produced in Tandragee to more than 40 countries across the world.

During the last 12 years, Tayto has acquired iconic crisp and snack brands, Golden Wonder, Real Crisps, Mr Porky, Jonathan Crisp and Portlebay Popcorn through its parent organisation Tayto Group. Across the Group, more than five million packets of crisps and snacks are produced each day at its six UK factories. For further information, visit www.tayto.com.