Fashion’s Hopeful Next Generation

by Alexandra Hildreth

It’s easy to lament about the unsteady and looming future of fashion. With brands, retailers, and publications shuttering left and right, our rose-coloured glasses can be tinged from the memories of what we’ve left behind. Too often, while reminiscing about the good old days of the industry, we forget to look at what we can do to support those independent designers who are standing right in front of us. These designers hold the keys to changing the industry and shaping the next generation of design as we know it. I sat down with two nominees from this year’s LVMH prize class to learn more about what inspires their brands (which in turn inspires others), how their brands came to be, and the valuable things they’ve learned while getting there.

*On September 10, 2024, Ellen Hodakova Larsson won the 2024 LVMH Prize, earning €400,000 and a year of mentorship. She is the first Swedish designer to receive this award.

HODAKOVA

Alexandra Hildreth – I’d love to hear more about your community and how you started your brand. Can you walk me through the beginning?

Ellen Hodakova Larsson – I started my company during the pandemic, following a long-held vision. I’ve had to rely on my gut feeling in many ways since then. During the lockdown, I had the time to work in a small rented studio, where I could be very creative. After graduating, my collection garnered a lot of attention, and I was in the mood to create and make things happen. It felt natural to continue on that path, finding support from friends and others who believed in me. Having a space to be curious and creative during my process is crucial. I have a passion for development and a curiosity about what things can become. I aim to create situations where surprises can happen, and this drive fuels my work in many ways.

A.H. – I’ve been a fan of your work for quite some time now, and I love how the materials you use always have this common thread of destruction and reconstruction. Do you find that sustainability goes beyond business practices and applies to your ideas as well as constantly reworking and improving them?

E.H.L. – That’s the spine of my work—being open and exploring how the mind works when you recontextualise something. It’s like magic because anything can happen in that situation. You need to create an environment where creation can happen naturally. It’s about trying, editing, and repeating the process. Rick Rubin has a quote about his creative process in music, emphasising the importance of keeping an open mind and creating a space where intuition is free to flow. For me, it’s a similar process. Intuition is at the core of what
I do.

A.H. – What was it like to grow the community around your brand?

E.H.L. – I think I’ve been fortunate to have support, but the pandemic also played a significant role. Despite the period of awfulness, it provided space to think and reflect. It gave me time to focus, but I’ve always been driven to create my own paths. If I believe in something, I work hard on it. I had support from various people, but I also did freelance work in assistance, styling, and set design to make ends meet.
It was like an equation of different paths converging at the same time. I have a strong connection with my family, especially my grandmother. My brand, Hodakova, is built on the women in my family, and Hodakova is my grandmother’s last name. She was a woman who believed in possibilities and was a doer, which deeply influences my work.

A.H. – What was the biggest learning curve for you when you started the brand beyond the drive for creativity?

E.H.L. – For me, the aesthetic part comes quite easily because I enjoy it so much, and creating a business that actually works is something I’m passionate about. I’m definitely inspired by Margiela’s way of thinking. I truly believe in changing the perspective of a piece and continuing the idea of recycling in a way that revalues something. It’s about transforming a garment so that it isn’t just a piece of trash anymore.

A.H. – And while creating this brand and repurposing, what’s been the moment for you that you’ve enjoyed the most?

E.H.L.- It’s about incremental validation—small daily affirmations that sustain motivation. There needs to be a reason to engage in something that feels good, a purpose that benefits more than just oneself. This is crucial. Shifting from an egocentric mindset to a communicative and collective approach is essential for environmental health. We need to think beyond our own needs. One of the most important aspects is the human drive to create newness. We all possess this drive, which fuels our development, but it must be connected to a broader purpose that extends beyond individual desires.

NICCOLÒ PASQUALETTI

Alexandra Hildreth – I’ve been a fan of your brand for a while. I love how earthy and geometric your fashion is. The shapes you create are very interesting and unique, which excites me. Can you tell me how you got into fashion in the first place?

Niccolò Pasqualetti – I’m originally from Italy. I was born in San Miniato, a village between Pisa and Florence. So, in Tuscany, in a rural manufacturing area, it’s not somewhere where you can cultivate your passions. Growing up, I lived in a very isolated place in the countryside.
So, I never really thought of the idea of making fashion, or at least I didn’t have someone around me who was pursuing this sort of career.

I remember experimenting when I was very young. When I was around ten years old, I used to play with my parents’ clothes. They wore quite conservative garments.
I would mix my mother’s silk skirts with my father’s more masculine tailoring trousers. Taking these pieces and trying them on and playing with my identity like that was almost like an exercise for me.

I discovered the work of artists such as Claude Cahun and Francesca Woodman, who inspired the kind of playing with one’s identity and image that I also wanted to explore.

A.H. – Claude Cahun is one of my all-time favourite self-portrait artists. I love the surrealist aspect and the androgyny of it as well. Do you feel that experimenting with clothing and androgyny and mixing your mother’s and your father’s clothes when you were a kid is what led you to form the aesthetic that is at the core of your brand now?

N.P. – It’s genuinely about blending opposites and seeking harmony within them. Whether it’s a three-dimensional shape or an emotion, it’s always an attempt to create a sense of imbalance or balance. It’s about giving people a certain ambiguity and choice so they can discover themselves within the offering.

A.H. – From there, what was the first step for what’s now become Pasqualetti?

N.P.  – I had my inaugural jewellery collection, which I consider my starting point. Thanks to it, I was able to focus on shapes, curves, and organic forms, which served as a foundation for the body. This collection earned me the Franco Sonia Award in 2021, propelling me to move forward with my first ready-to-wear collection, which debuted in Paris that September.

A.H. – What’s your creative process like? Are you a very collaborative person, or are you streamlined?

N.P. – When it comes specifically to ready-to-wear, it’s a blend of drawing and three-dimensional work. Drawing has been a significant aspect of the process from the start, something I’ve always enjoyed and found essential as it helps translate ideas into tangible forms.

A.H. – Fashion has always reminded me of food. It is a shared language between you and your loved ones, especially with small brands. I mean, there are support systems within the fashion industry, but I think we don’t value small and independent designers as much as we should. Has your family been a continued inspiration, helping with the brand as it’s grown?

N.P.  – Well, in terms of my family, yes, initially, I dressed myself and my mother, especially for the first collections. In the beginning, I was also the one taking pictures during the pandemic. Additionally, the concept of working with abstract pieces derived from their conservative wardrobe and then asking them to wear them again was a process that I found fulfilling.

A.H. – Throughout all of this, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a designer?

N.P. – It’s about making choices; you always have to choose. You have to make decisions; you can’t remain indecisive. It’s often a matter of saying yes or no, right? And you have to respond quickly, you have to determine whether you follow your instincts or not.