The announcement marks a momentous milestone for the designer, her namesake brand and the Swedish fashion industry alike
To be named a LVMH Prize finalist is no easy feat. This year's prize pool attracted no less than 2,500 applicants, with a subsequent 20 semi-finalists judged and critiqued by some of the fashion industry's most powerful and discerning players such as Nicolas Ghesquière, Stella McCartney, Jonathan Anderson, Marc Jacobs, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Louis Vuitton Men's creative director Pharrell Williams – to name a few.
Ellen Hodakova Larsson made the prestigious cut among the final eight finalists. Hodakova, whose namesake brand forms part of the Swedish Fashion Council's incubator program, is the first-ever Swedish designer to reach the esteemed final stage of the award program. It also marks the first time in which there has been a finalist from the Nordic region in seven years, the last time being Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen's finalist dub in 2017.
Since its inception in 2021, Larsson’s vision for her brand has extended beyond creating beautiful garments – Hodakova has been striving to be the first fully sustainable fashion house, reshaping the narrative around sustainable fashion and redefining what sustainable can mean in the industry. By recycling existing garments and incorporating unexpected everyday materials – think spoons, belts and pens – Hodakova has consistently challenged traditional notions of fashion and consumption.
“When people appreciate and recognise my work and the thinking behind it, they start to realise that it’s not just about clothes but also about transformation. The reaction evoked is curiosity, which is my main goal and the reason I started the brand,” Larsson says.
The LVMH Award is open to designers from around the world aged 18 to 40, with the requirement to have created at least two collections. Set to be presented at a ceremony held at Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton this summer, a trio of awards will be handed out amongst the eight finalists: one being the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, which comes with a €400,000 bounty, the second being the Karl Lagerfeld Prize of €200,000. The third is newly introduced in 2024: the Savoir-Faire Prize of €200,000. A year-long mentorship program is also bestowed upon a designer who exhibits exceptional craftsmanship, technical expertise or sustainable practices.