For Delphine Arnault, who founded the Prize in 2013, this was an occasion to “represent craftsmanship, quality, sustainability and sustainable development,” she explained in an interview. “We believe that these are values that are increasingly important today and that reflect the expectations of today’s consumers. It’s also an integral part of our business. Know-how is essential, and know-how is passed down from generation to generation. So we thought it would be interesting to bring this dimension into the Prize, to reward this dimension in particular.”
About Hodakova’s winning vision, she added, “she showed us a lot of her creations around belts, for example, and she also told us all about her childhood, how she was brought up, how her mother introduced her to fashion. She told us all about the path that led her to create her brand in Stockholm. We thought she was a very interesting candidate with a lot of potential for development.”
With her father and stepmother nearby, Larsson, who is 32, sat down at a backstage table with a glass of champagne in one hand and her sculptural gold star award designed by Jean-Michel Othoniel in the other. “I think I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to trust it until it happened. I didn’t want to be disappointed, I guess,” she said. Can she now envision where she might be next year? “I’m very present and I’m moving my goals all the time, so it’s quite hard to just put a goal, but I want to see the brand develop in a way I imagine it – in a natural and good balance. I believe the infrastructure needs to have balance to sustain [itself],” she said.
Minutes later, she shared a poignant hug with Julian Louie of Aubero, while Stewart made a point of saying how this was an amazing group that supported each other. “We all wanted each other to do well.”
Here, it’s worth reminding how many finalists have gone on to thrive sans Prize; Demna and Virgil Abloh being two of the most famous examples. “It’s very nice to win a prize but it doesn’t mean the end of the world if you don’t,” said Marc Jacobs reassuringly. “So be true to thyself, to thine own self be true. Be passionate about what you do, and anything is possible. Prize or no prize, keep going.”
