The Swedish designer behind Hodakova and fresh LVMH Prize laureate is linked to the role Francesco Risso leaves at Marni.
Rumours are circling at Marni: Swedish designer Ellen Hodakova Larsson, founder of the label Hodakova and winner of the 2024 LVMH Prize, is said to be under serious consideration for the house’s creative director post.
Larsson’s rise has been swift. Her practice—belts recast as bustiers, shirt collars turned into accessories—pairs sculptural tailoring with an up-cycling ethos that has won critical respect. The LVMH Prize, handed to her last September, moved her from promising name to viable leader.
Marni itself is preparing for change. Francesco Risso, known for poetic eccentricity and artistic storytelling, is departing. His exit would give the OTB Group a third label in transition, after Simone Bellotti’s move to Jil Sander and Diesel designer Glenn Martens heading to Maison Margiela.
For Larsson, steering a legacy house would offer new resources and an international stage, matched by close scrutiny. Even if negotiations stop short of a contract, her presence in the conversation shows that craft, circularity and independent authorship now sit at the centre of fashion’s hiring calculus.
Whether the job becomes hers or not, the industry is already taking note: talent rooted in resourcefulness can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest names in Milan and Paris.
