LVMH Prize 2024 winner Ellen Hodakova Larsson and award winners Duran Lantink and Michael Stewart with presenters Natalie Portman, Robert Pattinson and Ana de Armas. Photo: @lvmhprize/Instagram
Lady Gaga and Cate Blanchett are fans of the Swedish designer – meanwhile, Duran Lantink, who’s dressed Beyoncé and Doja Cat, and Standing Ground’s Michael Stewart, were also honoured at the ceremony
This has been a big year for Swedish designer Ellen Hodakova Larsson of Hodakova, with the likes of Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett and Blackpink’s Rosé wearing her glamorous “trash to treasure” creations. And, after the announcement at the award ceremony at Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton on Tuesday, Larsson can now count winner of the 2024 LVMH Prize among her many accomplishments.
Larsson edged out over 2,500 applicants from 80 countries to take the prestigious prize this week. Visibly emotional as she took to the stage to accept her award, she said in an interview after the ceremony, “[I was] overwhelmed by the feeling that we worked so hard to get this recognition, to show that this business model is working. We need this help to be able to scale even bigger. On a personal level, we’re so passionate about believing in this. Belief is the main word. You can always push your boundaries, your goals, but belief is something you have in your core, your heart.”
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Cate Blanchett, a long-time fan of Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s designs for Hodakova, attends a fan event for the film Borderlands in California earlier this month. Photo: FilmMagic
Now in its 11th year, the LVMH Prize – the brainchild of Christian Dior CEO Delphine Arnault – has firmly established itself as an annual favourite on the fashion calendar for long-time insiders and young enthusiasts alike. Beyond being one of the most prestigious prizes in the industry today – Larsson is walking away with the equivalent of €400,000 (US$440,000) and a year-long mentorship with LVMH – it is also among the most visible, with celebrity star power and success stories to back it up.
Singer Rosé, of K-pop girl group Blackpink, is a fan of LVMH Prize 2024 winner Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s designs. Photo: @roses_are_rosie/Instagram
Notably, the competition is meant for more seasoned designers, with a separate prize given to fresh fashion graduates. Previous winners include Marine Serre (2017), Simon Porte Jacquemus (special prize winner in 2015) and Peter Do, who was a LVMH Graduate Prize winner in 2014 before becoming a finalist in 2020 – that year’s prize was distributed equally among the eight finalists after the final competition and winners’ ceremony was cancelled due to the pandemic.
This year, actress and Dior ambassador Natalie Portman presented the top prize after being named a special jury member, the first time an ambassador for the prize has joined the fashion jury. Meanwhile, actors Robert Pattinson and Ana de Armas – ambassadors for Dior and Louis Vuitton, respectively – presented the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize and inaugural Savoir-Faire Prize.
Actress Ana de Armas attends the 2024 LVMH Prize ceremony at Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton. Photo: Handout
