Ellen Hodakova Larsson

Larsson was the first Swedish designer to win the award, which carried a grant of €400,000 and a year of mentoring by executives of the luxury group. Her clothes have been worn on the red carpet by Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish.

• Name — Ellen Hodakova Larsson • Education — Swedish School of Textiles • Occupation — Fashion designer • Years Active — 2021–present • Awards — LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers (2024)

Hodakova grew up on a horse farm near Strängnäs. Her mother was a seamstress, and her father in the military. The family moved to her grandparents' farm when Larsson was a small girl, after her grandmother was widowed; her mother specialized in fur work and taught her to repair and remake clothes and household objects. Larsson rode from an early age and competed as an equestrian as a teenager. After leaving school she studied sculpture and painting before turning to fashion design. Hodakova was a 2019 graduate of the Swedish School of Textiles. There she studied fine art and sculpture alongside tailoring.

Larsson founded Hodakova in Stockholm in 2021 and named it after her grandmother's maiden name. The label's garments and accessories are made entirely from second-hand clothing, surplus stock and discarded objects; recurring materials include leather belts, trousers, starched shirt collars, zippers and riding boots. Larsson has described her method as taking garments apart and putting the pieces together like a puzzle to form new luxury clothing. She has cited Martin Margiela and Elsa Schiaparelli as influences. Larsson has said that her aim is to build a fully sustainable fashion house. Because working with used material at scale is slow, she and her team have developed artificial intelligence tools to help sort and grade discarded garments and assess how they can be reused; she said she would direct part of the LVMH prize money and mentoring toward that project. The company remains based in Stockholm, and by late 2024 the label was sold in 18 countries, including at Dover Street Market.

Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett have worn Hodakova's 'trash to treasure' designs.

In 2024 Larsson was a finalist for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, an award open to designers aged 18 to 40 who have produced at least two collections. About 2,500 designers applied that year and 20 were named semi-finalists; Larsson was the first Scandinavian finalist since the Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen in 2017. Natalie Portman presented her with the prize on September 10, 2024, making her the first Swedish winner. The award carried €400,000 and a year of mentoring by LVMH executives; the Karl Lagerfeld Prize and the newly created Savoir-Faire Prize, each worth €200,000, went to Duran Lantink and to Michael Stewart of Standing Ground.

Larsson was named designer of the year at the Swedish Elle gala in 2023 and again in 2026. She won the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers in 2024.