Things have been going pretty well so far, but 2024 has seen the designer level up. Larsson is currently one of 20 global talents to make it to the semi-finals of the latest LVMH Prize – now in its 11th edition – and in the running to win a grand prize of €400,000, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize or the brand-new Savoir-Faire Prize, both of which €200,000 apiece. “It’s been very fun to meet everyone at the LVMH Prize and that everyone knows the brand now. Just connecting with people and talking about the work has been lovely. It’s been a bit stressful too, but I think I’m getting good at handling the stress,” Larsson shares.
Amidst the chaos of preparing for her recent AW24 show, the designer also presented her brand offering to 85 industry professionals in the hopes of continuing in the process for the grand prize and mentoring support. “I feel like I’m developing in a good way and the response has been great,” she shares on the brand’s growth to date. “It’s nice to see the development of your own work and vision around it. Having the opportunity to push through and keep on doing it feels like the right thing to do because I really believe in it.”
After finding her feet in Stockholm, the designer previously presented in Paris for her SS23 show, returning to the city for AW24. While upcycling remains fundamental, the designer has integrated AI to enable a more efficient sorting process – scanning gathered items to ascertain fabric content and usage levels. The work still requires the human touch, though, with her team of artisans thinking critically and creatively about the construction of the garments. “It needs to be flexible, flexibility is what makes the brand work,” she shares. “I have my own vision and try to incorporate it during the design process.”
As the brand has grown and its signatures have become recognisable, the upcycling process has been made easier too, with companies reaching out to Hodakova to offer their disused materials. “I made a bra dress a couple of seasons ago and then we had a company reach out to ask if we wanted to do something with their stock,” she explains. “Belts too, of course. We’re open to those kinds of possibilities.”
“My mum was very inspired by the British countryside… I think that’s where my aesthetic comes from” – Ellen Hodakova Larsson
Those signatures appeared at the brand’s AW24 show, a collection that drew inspiration from the Swedish countryside where the designer grew up. “My process is grounded in the expression of where I come from and incorporating that into the collection,” she explains. “I was brought up in the Swedish countryside and my mum was very inspired by the British countryside and she decorated the house with lots of Chesterfield sofas, chequered materials, heavy corduroy, wool, and leather and I think that’s where my aesthetic comes from.”
This British sensibility permeated the collection, seemingly designed with the modern horse girl in mind. Riding boots were fashioned into chic clutches and sculptural tops, while cosy Frankensteinian knitwear was spliced and restitched together. A blend of masculine and feminine elements, suiting was literally turned inside out and tops were crafted from tights, hair nets, and flat caps. “I got inspired by Lady Martha Sitwell, riding cross country, and fox hunting,” the designer reveals. “I was inspired by her way of approaching that overclass environment in a punk way that was fun and playful.”
Alongside a gown fashioned entirely out of black equestrian rosettes and a model who served (literally) in a top sculpted around her from silver trays, the collection’s magic moment – you’ll have likely seen it all over social media – came via an unsuspecting brown leather attaché. With a dramatic flourish – aided by a zip-up from the designer herself – presto, it was transformed into an office-ready dress. “That was my dad’s old bag,” the designer explains. “Two weeks ago he was cleaning out the storage and asked if I wanted anything and suggested I could do something with the bag so I did. I opened a couple of things and changed the direction of the zipper to get into it.”
It’s this kind of design wizardry that epitomises Hodakova’s magic touch. “Before I started fashion, I was studying sculpture and I think that’s when I realised that I sculpt on my body,” the designer says. “If I get a task that’s very limited or like a puzzle, I feel encouraged to find a solution or new opportunities within it. It’s a drive I have.”
While Hodakova has previously been presented as part of Swedish Fashion Council’s [Fashion X] programme, the return to Paris Fashion Week is a vehicle to further the brand’s growth. “It’s important for me to show my work in an environment where people see it. I want to show pieces that people see to start conversations that change the mindset of the industry which I believe it needs,” she says. “Creativity lies within limitation and it forces you to be creative. I really enjoy Paris and having my work seen here can make a difference in a lot of ways.”
With the LVMH Prize final imminent, with judges ranging from Jonathan Anderson and Nigo, to Marc Jacobs, Larsson has hardly dared to dream about winning. “It’s more important that people see my work,” she shares modestly. “Meeting people and connecting to share stories is what we do as humans and I believe that’s the most important part of the process.” Whatever the outcome is, continue to expect the unexpected from Hodakova.