Listowel Racecourse in County Kerry, Ireland, held its 15th consecutive "Sustainable Style Saturday" on the closing day of the Harvest Festival race meeting in September 2026, encouraging racegoers to wear vintage, secondhand and sustainable fashion. The event was organised by Listowel Tidy Towns in association with An Taisce, the Irish National Trust, and supported by local Listowel businesses and Listowel Race Company, attracting thousands of spectators.

Key Points

  • The event was held at Listowel Racecourse in Ireland, organised by Listowel Tidy Towns in association with An Taisce, and has run for 15 consecutive years.
  • Tara O'Carroll from Causeway won the "Most Sustainably Attired Racegoer" title and a €500 prize; Mary Thornton from Listowel won the "Best Vintage/Pre-Loved Attired Racegoer" award and a €300 prize.
  • The under-16 "Most Sustainably Attired" prize went to Bonnie Sanderson, worth €200; new sponsor Higgins Waste & Recycling added a guess-the-weight-of-a-cardboard-bale contest with a €200 prize.

The day's judges were well-known model Paula Price and Elaine Doyle of An Taisce. Tara O'Carroll from Causeway won the "Most Sustainably Attired Racegoer" title, with a €500 prize sponsored by Listowel Race Company. Mary Thornton from Listowel won the "Best Vintage/Pre-Loved Attired Racegoer" award, with a €300 prize sponsored by Higgins Waste & Recycling Ltd. The under-16 "Most Sustainably Attired Racegoer" prize went to Bonnie Sanderson, worth €200, sponsored by John McGuire Pharmacy. All other finalists received gift bags sponsored by local Listowel businesses.

New sponsor Higgins Waste & Recycling added an interactive element to the day's events, inviting spectators to guess the weight of a bale of cardboard, with a chance to win a €200 prize.

According to the organisers, Listowel was the first town and racecourse in Ireland to hold a sustainable fashion event at a racecourse, and the event continues to promote waste reduction, sustainable fashion and the circular economy.

For the secondhand clothing industry, this racecourse secondhand fashion event, now in its fifteenth year, reflects how circular fashion is moving from specialist trade shows into mainstream leisure settings, with acceptance of vintage and secondhand clothing continuing to rise in mainstream consumer contexts.

Source: Tara’s Taste In Sustainable Style Rewarded At Listowel Races On Saturday - Tralee Today · Originally published 2026-09-29