Congratulations are in order for Ellen Hodakova Larsson, founder of Stockholm-based eponymous label Hodakova, who has been awarded this year’s LVMH Prize!

In a ceremony at the Louis Vuitton Foundation this afternoon, with prize jury members Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nigo, Phoebe Philo and Marc Jacobs and other big hitters in attendance, Hodakova, visibly emotional, was awarded the gong by hosts Wisdom Kaye and Derek Blasberg.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Hodakova after her big win, which follows in the footsteps of previous winners Satoshi Kuwata, Grace Wales Bonner, S.S.Daley and Marine Serre. “There’s this feeling that we worked so hard to get this kind of recognition and to actually show that this kind of [sustainable] business model is working. It means we get to globalise!”

Hailing from Sweden, Hodakova studied at the Swedish School of Textiles before launching her namesake label in 2021 with the goal of creating a sustainable fashion house that upcycles and converts old materials into luxury ready-to-wear. With limitations and rules to her ability to explore the creativity within discarded materials, she is compelled to focus on craftsmanship, quality and potential.

Taking home a cash prize of €400,000 euros, with the money Hodakova plans to invest in the logistics and infrastructure of her flexible business model. “It’s important to keep this going, so I really aim to work on a sustainable fashion house that is sustainable on every single level,” she says.

“This is the road we’re going [down]. We all know we can’t [continue to] work this way, to just produce and produce and produce. So we need to have another way and I believe that this is one way to show that this system is actually working and we can actually reuse stuff,” she adds. “It’s crucial to use what knowledge we have on a bigger scale; to show the possibility of this business model and the possibility of accepting this way of working in the ‘fine dining’ room.”

How will she be celebrating? “Champaign!” she beams. “And I want to go out dancing, karaoke maybe!”

This year’s Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize was awarded to Dutch runner up Duran Lantink, while the newly created Savoir-Faire Prize – which focuses on exceptional craftsmanship, technical expertise and innovation, as well as sustainability in an upcoming brand – was presented to Fashion East alum Michael Stewart of London-based Irish brand Standing Ground. Each designer will be awarded €200,000 euros and a year of mentoring from LVMH.

“Everything I do is a study. I go two steps back and one step forward, so it’s really important for me to focus on things I get excited about, to stay free and not stay too structured. I’m excited about [my process] being [more] open so I can take the next steps as an independent brand,” says Lantink of his upcycling-centred, Amsterdam and Paris-based label. “The jury is incredible, and they understand what craft is and what savoir faire and what haute couture are. So this really is an honour,” adds Stewart, who crafts exquisitely draped, twisted and sculpted gowns in his womenswear collections. “This means that I can continue to develop my work but now take it to another level so that I can achieve things I previously haven’t been able to afford to do. It’s a combination of craft, innovation, creativity, make, exploring the techniques and having the freedom and room to play and discover something really special.”

Photography courtesy of LVMH Prize.

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